A leader recently told me:
“I’m exhausted. The quality across the team is patchy, and I don’t feel like I have the right capability in the team or the levers to lead them the way I need to.”
This wasn’t a case of poor leadership or lack of care. It was a leader caught in a common, unsustainable trap: trying to do it all.
And that’s the problem.
Too many leaders believe their job is to carry the weight of the team alone. But that’s not leadership – that’s overload.
What’s Going Wrong?
🔹 Over-functioning – When leaders step in too often, teams step back.
🔹 Unclear accountability – I Team members are unclear on roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority.
🔹 Patchy performance – Without shared standards, inconsistency creeps in, creating rework and frustration.
🔹 Underdeveloped capability – When leaders carry the load, teams miss the chance to step up and grow.
🔹 Leadership fatigue – The pressure to ‘fix’ everything leads to burnout and diminished impact.
What Deliberate Leadership Looks Like
Instead of working harder, lead smarter. Here’s how:
1️⃣ Redefine Accountability
Accountability isn’t about blame – it’s about clarity. Be explicit about ownership and decision-making boundaries. When everyone knows where they stand, the leader stops being the bottleneck.
2️⃣ Delegate with Purpose
Delegation isn’t task-dumping; it’s capability-building. Share the context, define the outcome, and let your team figure out the how. That’s how confidence and competence grow.
3️⃣ Build Development Into the Day-to-Day
Forget the big training program you don’t have time for. Leadership development happens in real time – through feedback, in your questions and in the stretch assignments you hand over.
4️⃣ Set and Share Standards
Don’t assume your team knows what good looks like. Define it together. Calibrate as a team. Use real examples. When the standard is clear, performance follows.
5️⃣ Protect Your Energy, Elevate Your Impact
Your time and energy are limited. Your impact doesn’t have to be. Focus on what only you can do – and empower your team to do the rest. That’s not stepping back. That’s stepping up.
If your calendar is packed, your to-do list never ends, and the team’s progress depends entirely on you – it’s not a sign that you need to work harder. It’s a sign you need to lead differently.
Let go of doing it all. Build a team that can do more – with clarity, courage, and accountability.
That’s sustainable leadership. That’s deliberate leadership.
