I once worked for a manager who believed in creating extensive documentation about how people were to work. He even set up a wiki site with the documentation. The problem was the wiki site was so complex that no one except him could find anything.

Finally, one day I asked what was motivating him to build such extensive documentation. He said, “I don’t want people to make mistakes in their work, so I’m giving them a step by step guide.” I think he meant, “if they think for themselves, they’ll get it wrong.”

As a leader, your job is to give them a direction and the boundaries in their work. Then, support them as they learn, grow, and succeed. In other words, make it possible for them to think for themselves and watch where they go.

You’ve got this.