Aureve Core · 6 months · Technology Delivery
Delivery Manager, Wallero
He was good at everything except trusting himself. That made him control everything around him — and everyone under him.
The Situation
He arrived at Aureve with a clear presenting problem — he micromanaged his team, and he knew it. But beneath that behaviour was something he hadn't examined: a deep uncertainty about whether he was actually competent enough to delegate. If he let go of the detail, he'd have to trust his judgment. And trusting his judgment was exactly what he'd never quite been able to do.
His history with leadership had been marked by criticism. Superiors had pointed out his micromanagement not as helpful feedback, but as evidence of inadequacy. He'd improved his people skills over the years — he knew that — but every new assignment brought back the ghost of those earlier criticisms. He over-controlled because control felt like competence.
He also had ideas he never shared. He would prepare for meetings meticulously and then stay quiet, certain his contributions would be dismissed. He had a fear of salary negotiation that had cost him real money over the years.
The Work
Aureve Core began with the question beneath the micromanagement: what did he actually believe would happen if he let go? The answers were specific and revealing. He believed his team would make errors he'd be blamed for. He believed his judgment wasn't reliable enough to stand behind. He believed that if people saw him not knowing something, the professional reputation he'd built would immediately collapse.
The sessions addressed emotional intelligence — specifically his relationship with uncertainty and his need for control as a substitute for confidence. We worked on delegation: not just the mechanics of it, but the internal experience of trusting someone else to do something important. We worked on the difference between knowing everything and being competent.
He began delegating. He began sharing ideas. He began negotiating. His team noticed the change — not just in how he managed, but in how he was. The transformation in people management was felt by everyone around him.
"Working with Sanket and Hir has been truly transformative. They brought genuine empathy and insight to our communication work, empowering me to lead conversations with honesty and confidence."
Delivery Manager · Wallero · Technology
The Takeaway
Micromanagement is almost never about control. It is about fear. In his case, the fear was that his own judgment wasn't trustworthy — so he substituted control for confidence. When Aureve Core helped him examine and dismantle that belief, the micromanagement dissolved on its own. The leadership that replaced it was both more effective and more humane.
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