I think that was your mistake. It is not necessarily micro managing to insist that because of the CEO's wishes they should share the proposed content with you.

Maybe that was your inexperience. If I was the boss and saw that response from the UK guy, I would have fired him immediately, so maybe that was also your CEO's fault. He's tasked you but not given you the authority.

I was made a Project Manager at 23 and had to impose my will on older guys. All of us white in those days. I am 72 now but not all bosses are right also.

You just have to keep fighting to prove yourself. I had a boss who tried to micro manage me from the UK, while I was on site in countries like the Yemen and China. I had to work within the local cultural structures so sometimes I would totally ignore the bosses instructions and do it my way. By the time he found out the job was done and so long as I made the profit and completed the schedule he had to keep schtum.

Often he would use his language and culture to bully the engineers or to rat on me behind my back. He was of Indian background and so were the engineers. Was that racism to me on his part?

I'm not saying you were wrong in your assumptions but to be a successful team builder, you have to fight for your team's loyalty. Being tough but fair is all I ever was. But you do have to earn the team's loyalty often.