We all know a leader who knows it all. He can’t resist the opportunity to weigh in on your work. He rarely asks how things are going or if he can help. He just tells you how it should be going and what he will do to help: offer his perspective.

Our leader is technically sound. Probably has a good education and plenty of experience in the field. His input, more often than not, is relevant and credible. So what’s the problem? Why aren’t we excited and appreciative that this sage veteran of the battlefield is at our disposal? And why isn’t the company better off with leaders like him riding herd on all of us greenhorns?

We aren’t excited because we are capable, conscientious, educated, credentialed, dedicated professionals who want to contribute. By robbing us of our opportunity to address challenges and solve problems, he is telling us that we lack the skills and experience necessary to do the job. We are demoralized and disconnected. Our ownership in our work, the future of the company and its reputation is undermined and diluted.

Our leader has determined that we are there to put his thoughts into practice. He has convinced us that we are not to be trusted. Left unattended, we would bring the company down around our ears. He is so convinced that he starts getting involved earlier. He further convinces himself, seeing his stamp on everything we produce, that he is indeed indispensable. The cycle deepens.

Eventually, in anticipation of his impending intrusion, we stop thinking. We become less creative. Our senses are dulled to where we lose sight of the big picture. We lose perspective and no longer head off potential problems, though we used to anticipate them and respond accordingly. We also resent being treated as incompetent, grow frustrated and, given the opportunity, go elsewhere.

The company isn’t thrilled, either. It has a leader doing a lot of things that aren’t his job. He is spending time getting into things that others are paid, trained, willing, even eager to do. The company expects that when our leader eventually leaves the company, he will leave behind a team of experienced subordinates, a few of whom are ready to assume his vacated role. The problem is that the good ones will have already left and the hangers-on won’t be prepared to lead.

It takes a strong leader to back away from the fray and let others work, especially when he or she can see the answer to the problems they are facing. The little bit of lost time and the occasional misstep that come with giving people a chance to do their jobs are investments that produce grand returns. Employees want to honor that trust. They work doubly hard to correct mistakes when they know they were given the latitude to try.

Be a resource, not the source. Great leaders are available and gracious when the need arises. They don’t advertise themselves as the one grand source of all wisdom and technique. Further, they do their best to convince everyone around them that the employees are the experts on whom the company relies. When employees do things differently, the difference is seen as another way of succeeding.

To let others have the spotlight, be the smartest person in the room or get credit for a project well done is true strength. True assurance comes from relying on oneself while knowing that a great resource is at the ready.

Ben C. Ochs provides leadership advice to company presidents and CEOs throughout the United States. He can be reached at bochs@palmeau.com.