Leadership and problem solving often go hand in hand. You're the go-to person when things go wrong. The one who’s expected to fix it. But here’s the catch: if every problem ends up at your desk, you're the bottleneck, not the solution.
A common trait among early-stage leaders or founder-led businesses is doing everything themselves. They’re usually highly skilled technicians who built the business on personal expertise. But that same strength can quickly become a limitation. You might solve problems faster than anyone else, but if you keep doing it all, you're capping your growth and stalling your team’s development.
A better approach is reframing your role from problem solver to problem facilitator.
The first step is recognising that not every issue needs your direct input. A good rule of thumb: 80% of problems should be solved by your team. Only 20% should make it to your desk. That means investing in systems, structures, and conversations that encourage your team to think critically and make decisions without relying on you.
When someone brings a problem to you, pause. Before jumping to a solution, ask:
These questions force reflection, improve clarity, and shift ownership back to the team. It’s not about avoiding responsibility, it’s about distributing it effectively.
Henry Ford once said he didn’t need to know everything, he just needed to know who to call. That’s what real leadership looks like. Building a team of specialists and trusting them to execute.
If you're still solving every issue personally, it may be time to ask: are you the chef in a one-table café or the owner of a full-scale restaurant? In the café, you take orders, cook, clean, and serve. You’re busy, sure, but you’re not growing. To scale, you need to teach others to cook, wash dishes, and eventually even run the kitchen.
Letting go doesn’t happen overnight. It takes intention and a mindset shift. You need to believe that other people can do things differently and still get good results. Maybe not perfect, maybe not how you’d do it, but good enough to move the business forward.
This is where many leaders get stuck. They wait until they're overwhelmed, frustrated, or burnt out before they realise they can’t do it all. Delegation and trust aren’t luxury skills. They’re survival skills.
You just need to create a team and structure that does. And when things go wrong (they will), use it as a learning moment. Not just for the team, but for yourself.
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating an environment where the answers don’t always need to come from you.