"But this is the same process that people go through as they go from coder to lead developer or architect or project manager - letting go of control."

In those circumstances, it's delegating control. And it's difficult to judge whether the authority you delegated is being misused if you lose touch with how to do the work itself. This comparison shouldn't be pushed too far, but it's not entirely unlike a compiler developer needing to retain the ability to understand machine code instructions.