One sign of a controlling leader is they become ineffective when they or their cohorts are not around to use external controls. It’s not uncommon to hear a leader say, "I can't go on a two week vacation, the place will fall apart if I'm gone that long."
Going away for two weeks is a perfect way to test for empowerment; however, leaders cannot just dump and run. Here are some actions leaders can take to ensure they and their direct reports feel confident while they are gone:
Document the critical aspects of the leader’s position;
Identify direct reports who are capable of these aspects (they need not all be carried out by the same person);
Train and/or cross-train;
Have a direct report do the aspect of the work as a trial run before leaving;
Finally, enjoy the time away.
By empowering direct reports to perform aspects of the leader’s job while they're gone and entrusting them to make decisions in their absence, direct reports will successfully increase trust, confidence, engagement, and productivity. Leaders may even find that allowing the direct report to continue that work upon their return opens new options up for them.