This week, I had a discussion with a founder about governance and decision-making, the kind of conversation that can easily feel uncomfortable or even like micro-management if not handled with the right context. It didn’t escalate because I understood that feeling, I’ve been there myself.

As a founder, I used to feel frustrated when people in my own company began questioning some of my spending decisions or changing how we worked. It felt like they didn’t trust me.

Over time, I realized that when your team starts improving things around you before you even ask, that’s leadership multiplying itself. That’s when real delegation happens, and when you stop being the constraint to your own organization.

Now, I even ask for expense approvals with the mindset that the company is ours, not mine. It’s a small gesture, but it builds shared responsibility, the foundation for real governance.

Much like this Vietnamese gardener, not the owner of the garden, but caring as if it were his.