When Letting Go is the Best Leadership Move

Today, I had one of those moments every project manager faces.

While updating technical tasks in Jira, a technical expert said something along the lines of:

💬 "You don’t really understand what you are writing"

For a split second, I felt that sting of humiliation. But instead of reacting, I set my ego aside and took a different approach.

🎯 Another team member then said, "I’ll update the Jira."- a task they'd avoided before. Moreover, he agreed to update according to project needs.

✅ I smiled and replied, "That’s great!"—and handed it over.

🔥 Lesson learned:

Sometimes, the best way to lead is to step back and let people take ownership.

In the past, I might have:

❌ Insisted on doing it myself

❌ Felt the need to prove something

But this time, I saw the opportunity—instead of pushing for control, I empowered the team to own the process.

🎯 The result?

✔️ The Jira updates got done (without me chasing)

✔️ The technical team felt in control of their own work

✔️ I focused on where I add the most value—driving outcomes, not micromanaging tasks

🔹 As project managers, we don’t need to be the most technical person in the room.

🔹 Our strength lies in enabling teams to perform at their best.

💡 Perhaps you also faced similar moments! Let others get inspired by your experience in comments👇

#Leadership #ProjectManagement #Ownership #Teamwork #LessonsLearned #Agile #Jira