The Trap New Managers Fall Into

You were probably promoted because you were good at what you did.

You knew what good looked like.

You could solve difficult problems.

People trusted you to deliver.

Then you became responsible for a team.

Suddenly, your results depended on other people.

That is when the mist can start to roll in.

Your team asks you what to do.

Work comes back below the standard you expected.

Delegating takes longer than doing it yourself.

So you become more involved.

You answer the questions.

You correct the work.

You step in when deadlines are approaching.

It makes sense.

You are trying to help the team succeed.

But the more problems you solve for people, the more dependent they become on you.

You work harder.

Your team waits for direction.

And there is never enough time to do the leadership work you were promoted to do.

This is not because you are failing.

You are learning a new job.

The skills that made you an excellent performer are not necessarily the skills that will make you an effective leader.

I Have Been There

I have spent more than 20 years building and leading teams in business and international sport.

I have also made many of the mistakes I now help other leaders avoid.

When the pressure increased, I became more involved.

I gave people answers because it felt quicker.

I held on to work because I knew I could do it properly.

I believed leadership meant knowing what to do and making sure everyone else did it.

What I eventually learned was that my team did not always need more instructions from me.

They needed clarity.

They needed responsibility.

They needed the confidence to think and act without waiting for my permission.

And I needed to stop measuring my value by how many problems I could solve personally.

That is one of the most difficult transitions a high performer has to make.

Leadership Is Not Doing More

The purpose of leadership is not to become the hardest-working person on the team.

It is to create an environment in which other people can perform.

That means learning how to:

• Set clear expectations without controlling every detail.

• Delegate responsibility rather than passing over tasks.

• Ask questions instead of immediately providing answers.

• Give feedback before frustration begins to build.

• Hold people accountable without losing their trust.

• Step away from your old job and begin doing the new one.

These skills can be learned.

You do not need to change your personality or become somebody you are not.

But you do need to change where you focus your attention.

The free chapter will help you begin.

What’s Inside?

The complete chapter: Your Team Comes to You for Every Answer

You will discover why capable people become dependent on their manager—and how your own behaviour may be unintentionally encouraging it.

1. A practical conversation to use with your team

A simple way to respond when somebody brings you a problem, without taking the responsibility away from them.

2. Your leadership action

One change you can make this week to create greater ownership within your team.

3. Reflection questions

Questions to help you recognise where you may still be operating as the top performer rather than the leader.

Read it in 10 minutes.

Use it with your team the same day.