In the first phase of my engagements, I often hear the same sentence from the director: „If I'm out for a week, everything stops." Said with quiet pride. Often with deep exhaustion.
When the leader carries too much, it isn't a sign of excellence. It's a sign the system can't hold without them. A system is a work environment that should rest on agreements, processes and clear roles. If it leans on one person, that's systemic risk.
Five signs the leader carries too much
- Operational decisions move upward and come back late.
- Meetings without the leader don't happen or happen without conclusions.
- The leader has 200 unread emails and fears opening the inbox.
- The team waits, uncertain whether a decision has been made.
- Nobody else knows what the „next important project" is.
How we even got here
Usually not through an error, but through success. The company grew, the leader solved, the system barely kept pace. Somewhere between year two and year three of growth, a quiet delay happened: there was no time left to build an operational system, because the work had to get done.
And so the leader became the operational engine, not the strategic director.
What happens when the leader starts to let go
First comes resistance from the team. „But you used to do this faster." True. Because the system wasn't ready for anyone else to do it.
Then comes the first quiet win. A decision previously delayed three days is made in one, without the leader. The team notices they can. The leader notices they have space they haven't had in five years.
In the third month I often hear: „For the first time in years, I had a weekend without the phone."
Why this isn't coaching — it's structural work
Motivational coaching tells the leader to „delegate better". True, but insufficient. Structural work changes three things at once:
- which decisions belong to whom (roles)
- how information flows (process)
- what counts as „done" (agreement)
Without these three, delegation is impossible, even with the best intent.
And only once these three are in place does the leader get back something they lost somewhere between year two and year three of growth: perspective.
O avtorici
mag. Martina Šavron
Svetovalka in mentorica za stabilizacijo ekip, procesov in odgovornosti v malih in srednjih podjetjih. Z več kot 27 leti izkušenj pri vodenju, organizaciji in odločanju.