Nadiem Makarim is not one to shy away from leadership.

As the co-founder and CEO of Go-Jek — Indonesia’s answer to the ride-hailing phenomenon — the 33-year-old is responsible for a business spanning five countries and a growing fleet of more than a million drivers.

However, the eight-year journey that got him there was not always a smooth one, and it taught him an important managerial lesson along the way.

“As a founder, you feel like you know what's right, and it’s a natural instinct to have,” Makarim told CNBC’s "Managing Asia."

But, according to the young entrepreneur, it can be a confidence trick — and a dangerous one at that.

“That's kind of the thing that we lie to ourselves about as leaders," noted Makarim, who said he quickly learned he had to loosen the reigns or face the consequences.

"The higher you go and the bigger your company gets, people also become less reluctant to tell you what they actually think," he told host Christine Tan.

"Part of my personal learnings were understanding that if you don't evolve your leadership style for where your company is at the moment, then you will render yourself useless very quickly."