A common scenario plays out in offices every day: a team member hits a roadblock and flags it to their manager. The manager, wanting to be helpful and efficient, immediately jumps in, provides the solution, and fixes the issue.

The team member is happy. The manager feels indispensable. It seems like a win-win.

A mentee once told me, “My manager is incredible. He jumps in to fix every issue before we even finish explaining it.” He truly meant it as a compliment.

But what he and many leaders fail to realise is this: Nothing destroys a team's capability faster than a leader who always has the answer.

As the image you see here says, "When leaders solve everything, teams stop solving anything. Rescuing people feels helpful until it quietly destroys ownership."

The "Hero Leader" Is a Bottleneck

When you become the default problem-solver, a slow, toxic cycle begins:

• Teams stop thinking independently. Why wrestle with a tough problem when the answer is just one question away?
• People wait for instructions. Initiative and creativity die. There’s no space for trial and error, which is the only way people truly learn.
• Ownership collapses. One "helpful" solution at a time, you are quietly training your team that the ultimate responsibility for success isn't theirs - it's yours.

And the leader? You burn out. You become the bottleneck for every project, carrying the weight of a team you've accidentally trained to be followers. You end up wondering, "Why doesn't anyone on my team take initiative?"

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Rescuing your team isn't always leadership. It’s often ego wearing kindness as a mask.

You're not "helping." You're ensuring your own relevance at the expense of your team's growth.

How to Lead by Not Solving

True leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about building a team that can find answers without you.

The best leaders I've worked with have mastered the art of the pause. They do three things differently when a problem is brought to them:

1. They Pause Before Answering: They resist the urge to jump in with their solution, even when they have it.
2. They Ask the Magic Question: They turn the problem back to the employee with one powerful question: "What do you think we should do?"
3. They Build Thinkers, Not Followers: They coach their team through the problem, letting them struggle (just enough) to find their own way. They accept that the team's solution might be different from theirs, and they understand that the ownership gained is far more valuable than a "perfect" answer.

When your team no longer needs you for every single decision, that’s not a threat to your relevance.

That is the ultimate proof of your leadership.

I regularly share insights on leadership, team development, and creating a culture of ownership. If this resonated with you, I invite you to join the conversation.

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