In today’s fast-paced environment, most businesses are moving at breakneck speed. Competition comes from every direction, and the pressure to innovate never stops.

It’s easy, in that context, to look around and ask:

“What are people doing all day?” “Why aren’t we using more tech, governance or process to move faster?”

And when leaders can’t see the work when teams are remote, distributed, or async the instinct is to lean in harder. More 1:1s. More check-ins. More status updates. A Slack message here, a “quick call” there.

But as Rosi and I discussed, that’s often when the balance starts to tip.

From the other side of the screen, this kind of pressure lands differently.It feels like a slow squeeze, less ownership, less room to think, less space to breathe.

Eventually, people stop experimenting or offering ideas. They think:

“You don’t trust me anyway, just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.”

That’s when creativity, innovation, and initiative quietly disappear.

Rosi shared that her biggest growth as a leader came when she stopped managing tasks and started trusting the person.

She realised she got the best from people when she:

• Gave autonomy, freedom, and responsibility without interference.

• Fought the temptation to micro-manage.

• Focused on creating the right environment and lifting the obstacles her team couldn’t remove themselves.

It sounds simple. But under real pressure, it’s one of the hardest shifts to make.

So how do we get this right when the stakes are high?

Here are a few reflections from our discussion:

• Hire well for your pace and culture. The right fit makes trust easier. If you’ve hired people who can handle the pace and own their space, let them.
  

• Build trust intentionally. Use tools like the “Fears and Hopes” exercise it’s remarkable what surfaces when people can express what drives their behaviour. https://learningloop.io/plays/workshop-exercise/hopes-and-fears
  

• More Unblocking, less oversight. Once trust is there, you can shift roles. Instead of managing people/situations, start managing friction. It can be so empowering for the team if you removing obstacles for them to go faster with autonomy and trust 

In times of pressure, it’s tempting to grab the wheel tighter.

But trust and autonomy aren’t luxuries for when things are just calm, I believe they are the foundation of sustainable performance when things are chaotic.

The leaders who get this right don’t slow down.They create conditions where others can move faster with ownership, clarity, belief and most importantly trust. People will go that extra mile when they know you believe in them and trust them. 

The Impact on the PersonRosi’s ReflectionFinding the BalanceA Closing Thought