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You have a computer I take it? OK, it crashes from time to time—that’s a given. You have a car. It breaks down from time to time—that, too, is a given. Now you don’t eye either of these warily, expecting them to let you down, watching them like a hawk in case they show any sign of breaking down, do you? No, of course not. So stop watching your staff like that. They are a tool to getting a job done. They will break down, crash, whatever, from time to time, but we accept their limitations—Rule 13—and we allow them to make mistakes—Rule 12—and we accept that we aren’t managing them but their processes instead.
And if you can make that move to trusting your staff, you must show them that you are doing exactly that. Trust not only has to be done, but it also has to be seen to be done. Sometimes you’ll have to make a big show of really leaving them alone to get on with it.