Leadership Isn’t Babysitting: Why Insecurity Is Killing Your Team

Leadership. The word alone gets tossed around boardrooms and LinkedIn feeds like some kind of holy grail. But let’s be real—most people leading teams aren’t exactly inspiring the kind of loyalty you'd see in a Tarantino protagonist. They’re more like substitute teachers who showed up without a lesson plan: overworked, underprepared, and secretly hoping no one sets the room on fire.

Here’s the thing: leadership insecurity isn’t just a “them” problem—it’s an epidemic. You know it. I know it. We’ve all been there, watching a manager spiral because they forgot they’re not running a daycare. So let’s dive into why so many leaders are insecure and why they keep forgetting they hired fully functional adults.

The Fear of Being Found Out (aka Imposter Syndrome’s Evil Cousin)

A lot of people land leadership roles the way you accidentally end up eating gas station sushi: fast, unplanned, and full of regret the morning after. Somewhere deep down, leaders fear they’re one bad decision away from their team realizing they don’t have all the answers. Spoiler alert: no one has all the answers.

Instead of owning that, insecure leaders double down. They micromanage, hover, and turn Slack into a surveillance state. Why? Because control feels safer than vulnerability. It’s easier to count how many minutes late someone is to a Zoom meeting than admit you have no idea how to fix the department’s growing dumpster fire.

But here’s the truth they don’t teach you in leadership seminars: being a leader isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about knowing enough and trusting the people you hired to fill in the gaps.

The Weird Obsession with “Adult Daycare” Leadership

Somewhere along the corporate journey, leaders forget they hired adults. Adults with jobs, bills, and maybe even kids who treat them the same way you’re treating your team: like they can’t handle responsibility.

This is where the infamous hovering boss archetype comes in. These leaders check in on every detail, constantly reminding you they’re watching, not because they care (let’s not flatter them), but because they don’t trust you to handle it. It’s infantilizing. It’s insulting. And it’s wildly unproductive.

Here’s the irony: most employees want to do a good job. They don’t need your motivational sticky notes or passive-aggressive emails. They need you to back off and let them work. Trust your people. You’re not their babysitter; you’re their leader. Act like it.

Why Insecurity Makes Leadership a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The insecure leader’s worst nightmare? A disengaged team that secretly hates them. But here’s the cosmic joke: that insecurity creates the very thing they fear.

When leaders overcompensate, they suffocate their team’s creativity and autonomy. Employees stop caring, not because they’re lazy, but because no one wants to fight through a wall of red tape just to do their job. Insecure leaders don’t inspire loyalty—they inspire LinkedIn job updates.

Think about it. You hired these people because they’re smart, capable, and bring something unique to the table. So why are you treating them like their skills expired the moment they walked through your door? Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about empowerment.

Channel Your Inner Zen Master

Take a deep breath. No one’s asking you to lead like Gandhi but maybe stop managing like a helicopter parent. Great leaders are secure enough to let their team shine, even if it means admitting they’re not always the smartest person in the room.

Leadership is about building trust. Trust that your team can handle the work, and trust that you made the right call when you hired them. If you can’t do that, maybe it’s time to ask yourself why you’re in a leadership role in the first place.

The Takeaway (aka Your Permission Slip to Chill Out)

Here’s the bottom line: insecurity is loud, obnoxious, and counterproductive. The best leaders know that their job isn’t to manage every tiny detail but to create an environment where people can do their best work.

You don’t need to hover. You don’t need to control. And for the love of everything holy, stop pretending you’re the protagonist in a workplace drama. You’re here to guide, not to dominate. You’re not a babysitter—you’re a leader.

Now, go act like one.