Loosen the Leash

The Moment

A leash can keep Gunner safe. It can also become a substitute for trust.

If I control every step, every direction, and every decision, I may get compliance — but I never learn what he can do when I am not managing every movement.

Training eventually requires giving him room.

Not no boundaries. Not no expectations. Room.

Enough space for him to make the right choice because he understands the work, not because I physically prevented every other option.

The Leadership Lesson

Leaders often say they want ownership while keeping the organizational leash very short.

We delegate the task but prescribe every step. We ask people to make decisions and then second-guess the decisions they make. We say, “I trust you,” while requiring approval for anything that matters.

That is not delegation. It is controlled execution.

Trust becomes real when another person has enough authority to exercise judgment — and enough clarity to know where the boundaries are.

The leader’s job is not to disappear. It is to define the outcome, establish the non-negotiables, make resources available, and stay close enough to coach without taking the work back.

People cannot grow into responsibility they are never allowed to carry.

On the Trail

Choose one responsibility you are currently holding too tightly.

Clarify the result you need.

Name the boundaries that truly matter.

Then decide what can be left to the other person’s judgment.

If they choose a different route than you would have chosen, ask whether the difference is actually a problem — or simply different.

Trust does not mean abandoning accountability. It means creating enough space for someone else to prove they can be counted on.

Trail Question

Where are you asking for ownership while still controlling every step?