Introduction

There is one behaviour I see in almost every organisation that quietly destroys performance - 

Leaders who cannot let go.

They talk about empowerment.

They promote autonomy.

They encourage ownership.

But when you look closer, the reality is very different:

• Too many approvals
• Too much oversight
• Too much second-guessing
• Too much “copy me in”
• Too much fear of mistakes

Leaders become bottlenecks. Teams become hesitant. Momentum dies.

What elite performance environments teach us

In high-pressure situations, whether in sport or business, speed matters. Clarity matters. Trust matters.

The best-performing teams don’t wait for permission. They make decisions close to the action because they’ve been:

• Trusted
• Trained
• Empowered

And yes, mistakes happen. But here’s the part leaders often forget:

The sun still rises the next day.

Why empowerment fails inside organisations

Three reasons show up again and again:

1. Leaders want control more than they want speed

They say they want agile teams, yet they hold onto decisions out of habit, ego, or fear.

2. Mistakes are treated like moral failures

In progressive environments, mistakes are learning moments.

In many organisations, they’re career-limiting.

 

3. Trust is weak or inconsistent

Empowerment without trust becomes chaos.
Trust without empowerment becomes stagnation.

Most leadership teams fall into one of those traps.

What happens when leaders finally let go

You see it instantly:

• Speed increases
• Ownership increases
• Confidence increases
• Innovation increases
• People stop waiting and start leading

When people have true decision-making power, the energy of the organisation changes.

You feel it.

The uncomfortable truth for leaders

Empowerment is not a principle. It’s a behaviour.

You either show it or you don’t.

And if you genuinely want a high-performing team, you must give up control before you feel ready. Not after.

What decision do you need to stop owning this week?

Next week, Part 3: Why Hiring the Wrong Person Can Destroy a Team Faster Than Anything Else

We’ll explore culture, behaviour, glue people, and why competency alone is a dangerous hiring lens.