Trusting the Team: Why Letting Go Makes You a Stronger Leader
Learn how trusting your team, not micromanaging, builds stronger leadership, better collaboration, and lasting impact. Leadership insights for women veterans and military leaders navigating career transitions. Strengthen your leadership journey with the STRONGer Playbook.
Leadership isn’t about doing it all yourself.
It’s about trust.
It’s about creating a space where others can thrive — even when it feels uncomfortable.
When I first stepped into my executive director role, I walked into a system that had been running smoothly for over a decade.
The weight of maintaining tradition while also fostering growth was heavy on my shoulders.
I knew I couldn’t bulldoze my way in.
I also knew I couldn't sit back and hope for the best.
Instead, I chose to build trust.
I started with weekly team meetings.
Monthly department updates.
One-on-one conversations with every team member.
It wasn’t perfect. Some ideas flopped. Some were embraced.
But one thing was clear: transparency created trust.
I shared my priorities. I admitted when I was wrong.
And slowly, my team saw that I wasn’t there to control them — I was there to build with them.
Where Micromanaging Comes From (And How to Stop It)
Micromanagement rarely starts with bad intentions.
It’s usually fear:
➔ Fear of failure.
➔ Fear of being judged.
➔ Fear of not being enough.
It’s also a pattern many of us learned.
If you’ve ever been micromanaged, you know exactly how it feels: small, misunderstood, invisible.
And if we’re not careful, we repeat what hurt us, and it costs us trust.
Before we can lead better, we have to notice these patterns within ourselves.
👉 Ask yourself:
"I feel the need to micromanage when..."
Write it down. You’ll be surprised what surfaces.
Awareness is the first step to choosing a new way to lead.
Learning from a Trailblazer: Brigadier General Wilma Vaught
General Wilma Vaught didn’t lead by control — she led by trust.
During the Vietnam War, she became the first woman to deploy with a Strategic Air Command operational unit.
At a time when leadership often meant barking orders, she built relationships instead.
She trusted her teams to innovate, make decisions, and lead.
Because trust scales where control crumbles.
Even after retiring, she continued to lead, serving as President of the Military Women’s Memorial and building a legacy that continues to empower women veterans.
We honor leaders like her not just for their victories but also for the way they made others feel: capable, empowered, essential.
(Learn more about General Vaught’s leadership story via this NPR interview.)
If You Want to Lead Better, Start Here
✅ Set clear expectations. Speak directly to the person, not through peers or gossip.
✅ Empower others to make decisions. Trust your team’s expertise, even when it feels unfamiliar.
✅ Communicate. Not to control, but to connect. Regular check-ins keep the pulse without hovering.
✅ Celebrate the small wins, not just the big ones. Gratitude builds loyalty faster than criticism ever could.
Not every decision will be perfect.
But when your team feels trusted, they’ll take real responsibility, and your leadership will feel lighter, stronger, and better.
Start small.
Start now.
Let's Build Together
💬 What would happen if you trusted your team 10% more?
Share your story with #TrustYourTeam and we might feature you in a future episode!
🎖 Learn more about Brigadier General Wilma Vaught's incredible leadership journey:
✨ Ready to level up your leadership?
Check out the Open Up and Lead! Samantha Edition Digital Deck — your leadership growth toolkit.
Until next time: trust your team. And trust yourself.
