When the Leader Becomes the Point Everything Passes Through
Being accessible and decisive can gradually make a leader the route through which too much work must pass.
People seek approval, escalate disagreements or wait for direction. The leader becomes increasingly busy, while the team has fewer opportunities to exercise judgment together.
Changing this pattern involves examining both sides of the relationship. What are people bringing to the leader? What does the leader routinely take back? Which decisions could sit elsewhere, with clear boundaries and an agreed route for escalation?
The aim is to build confidence in decisions being made at the appropriate level.
A question to consider: Which decisions reach me because my judgment is needed, and which reach me because that has become our habit?
If this connects with a current leadership challenge, a private conversation is a place to explore what is happening and whether advisory or coaching support would be useful.
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