In the fast-paced world of software development, we rely on collaboration, autonomy, and speed. Leadership isn’t about micromanagement—it’s about enabling smart people to do great work. And at the core of that enablement is trust.

How Trust Begins

It often begins subtly. You assign a couple of tasks to someone on your team. They handle them with ease—on time, with clarity, maybe even a little flair. It happens again. And again. Soon, you find yourself thinking, “This person gets it.” So you start assigning bigger, more complex responsibilities. You give them room to lead, to influence, to steer.

And just like that, trust is born—not just from performance, but from consistency. Consistency creates credibility—and credibility becomes currency.

That trust then evolves into empowerment. You give authority. You give power. Because that’s what good leaders do, right?

But how far can that consistency stretch into empowerment—before it quietly becomes unchecked power? Is there a threshold? Are there signs we tend to miss when we grant autonomy? After all, if the results are solid, isn’t that enough?

In a high-performance environment, it’s easy to assume that output equals success. But what about the process? The ripple effects? The culture being shaped underneath the metrics?

Maybe it’s time to ask: What should we really be measuring when we measure power?

When Trust Feels Like Truth

We trust our team members. We give them authority to make decisions, lead initiatives, and drive change. That’s not just management—it’s leadership. We believe in empowerment, and we operate on the hope that people will use that power wisely.

But here’s the thing: “Hope is not a strategy.” — Vince Lombardi

It’s easy to confuse the act of trusting someone with the idea of who we believe they are. Just like in relationships, there’s a corporate version of “loving the idea of someone”—falling for the potential, the promise, the persona—while overlooking the reality.

As leaders, we often want our belief to be validated so badly that we miss the signs of misuse. We defend behaviors we shouldn’t. We delay hard conversations. We get blindsided—by our own hope. Our own trust.

So… When Is Power Misused?

Misuse of power rarely looks like fraud or overt manipulation. In most modern workplaces—especially in tech—it’s far more subtle. It’s not about someone storming in and demanding control. It’s about the slow, almost invisible shift in dynamics that makes it harder for others to speak up, collaborate, or even feel psychologically safe.

Here are some of the quieter ways power can be misused:

• Subtle Power Moves: Controlling who gets access to information, who’s included in key conversations, or whose ideas get airtime. It’s not always intentional—but it creates an imbalance.
• Misrepresenting Conversations: When someone summarizes feedback or dialogue in a way that benefits them or omits key details, it’s a red flag. Power gets misused when narratives are shaped to serve ego.
• Over-Hyping Achievements: Celebrating wins is great. Monopolizing credit isn’t. When someone constantly positions themselves as the hero, they crowd out others’ contributions—and skew reality.
• Playing the Victim: Sometimes, misuse of power looks like weaponizing vulnerability. Constantly framing oneself as misunderstood or targeted, especially when challenged, is often deflection—not growth.
• Intimidating Others (Without Saying a Word): It’s not always yelling. Sometimes it’s the raised eyebrow in a meeting, the cold silence after a suggestion, or the quiet exclusion from a thread. Micro-behaviors can have macro effects.
• Blocking or Avoiding Feedback Loops: Whether it’s brushing off concerns with charm or deflecting accountability through charisma, the result is the same—transparency dies.

None of these behaviors scream misconduct. But over time, they create a culture where trust becomes performative, not real. And when that happens, it doesn’t just affect individuals—it erodes the entire system.

“Power isn’t about volume—it’s about influence. And influence, unchecked, can quietly reshape reality.”

When You Knowingly Take a Risk: A Leadership Reality Check

No one is perfect—and every leader knows that. You may trust someone despite their rough edges. You might believe their strengths outweigh the flaws. Their past outcomes give you hope for future results. Your gut says they’ll rise to the occasion.

That’s not weakness. That’s leadership with heart.

But here’s where it gets tricky: risk is only “calculated” if it’s being tracked.

Just like in product development, if you’re placing a bet, treat it like an experiment—not a belief system. Build check-ins. Define early warning signals. And get honest about your bias.

You don’t have to control the outcome—you just have to monitor the delta between your intention and their impact.

What Can a Leader Do?

As leaders, it’s tempting to focus on outcomes—shipping the product, hitting KPIs, growing the bottom line. But awareness—not just action—is what separates good leadership from great leadership.

Because awareness isn’t passive—it’s preventive. It catches cracks before they spread.

Here’s how you can cultivate it:

1. Create Feedback Loops That Bypass Ego

🔍 Why it matters: If all feedback has to pass through the person in power, you’re not getting the real story.

2. Don’t Confuse Loyalty with Leadership

🔍 Why it matters: Loyalty is noble, but not when it blinds you to dysfunction. Be loyal to the mission, not just the individual.

3. Observe Impact Over Intent

🔍 Why it matters: Even well-meaning leaders can create harm. It’s the effect, not the intention, that shapes culture.

4. Stay Curious, Not Defensive

🔍 Why it matters: Curiosity gives you access to truth. Ask more than you assert. Especially when something feels “off.”

5. Normalize Accountability at All Levels

🔍 Why it matters: Empowerment doesn’t mean exemption. Authority should never be a shield from critique.

6. Self-Check Your Biases

🔍 Why it matters: The stories you tell yourself—about someone’s character, competence, or loyalty—can distort your judgment. Hold your beliefs lightly, and test them often.

Final Thoughts

Leadership is complex because people are complex. In tech, where speed and autonomy are prized, we often give people more power than they can handle. That’s okay—it’s part of building trust. But trust, like code, needs regular refactoring.

Sometimes the bravest leadership move is to say: “I may have been wrong, and that’s okay. Let’s fix it.” Because course correction is not weakness—it’s wisdom.

Awareness is leadership’s quiet superpower. For only awareness brings change. And yes, awareness can feel a lot like self-loathing: do more, be more, learn more. A goal that keeps shifting. But that’s what’s expected from a leader. Results might impress others—but awareness protects the culture. And when culture is strong, results tend to follow.

Ronald Reagan’s “Trust but verify” may sound a little on the nose. But the spirit of it fits. It doesn’t mean micromanage. It means believe in people—and put thoughtful structures in place to ensure that belief is well-placed over time.

Let your trust be firm—but not blind. Steward power as carefully as you grant it. That’s where real leadership lives.