Managing whilst doing the ACTUAL job too?
Let's dicuss
Hey team,
Take one guess where I’m emailing from today. Yep, you got it. Another hotel room in London. I know, I sound like a broken record.
Travelling to London and back every week can be exhausting, but honestly… This is exactly what I used to dream about. Working with incredible teams, hopping on tubes across the city, one day at Liverpool Street, the next at Sony Music. It still feels surreal.
Wish I could go back and tell 16-year-old Hev - the girl who had just visited London for the first time. She literally would have died at the thought of this life.
So today, I’m sitting in this hotel room, soaking it all in and just feeling so damn grateful.
But I spoke to a manager in a HR business earlier this week, and she said to me:
“Heather I love all your leadership principles, but I can’t find the time to do any of them, because I still have to do the ACTUAL job”
(Actual job, definition: The technical responsibilities before you were a manager)
It’s exhausting. And it’s not sustainable.
So how do you balance being a great leader without getting buried in work yourself? How do you lead a team while still making an impact? Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Stop Treating Your Work as ‘More Important’ Than Leading
The first mistake? Thinking your own tasks are more valuable than the leadership of your team.
They are generally more urgent. But not more important.
If you’re doing all the work, you’re not leading. You’re just an overpaid individual contributor with extra meetings.
Your success is no longer measured by what you produce - it’s measured by what your team produces.
✅ Shift your mindset: If your team is failing, your job isn’t to jump in - it’s to help them figure it out themselves.
Florian was a group lead for TRUMPF, he felt that after two years in a manager role, he still wasn’t where he wanted to be. He took our course Fresh Start, and started focussing on empowering those around him. He sent over his story yesterday: read his story.
Step 2: Delegate Like Your Job Depends on It (Because It Does)
Most overwhelmed managers aren’t drowning in work because they have to be - they’re drowning because they refuse to delegate properly.
Why?
They don’t trust their team to do it as well as they would.
It feels “faster” to do it themselves (spoiler: it’s not).
They feel guilty offloading work onto others.
If any of that sounds familiar, it’s time to reframe delegation.
✅ What to do:
Don’t just delegate tasks - delegate ownership. Give people full responsibility for outcomes, not just pieces of work.
Use the 70% rule. If they can do it at 70% of your ability, delegate it. The remaining 30% is what coaching is for.
Resist the urge to jump in. If they come to you with “How do I do this?”, ask: “What have you tried so far?”
Step 3: Protect Your Time Like a CEO Would
You think you don’t have enough time to lead. The truth? You don’t have enough boundaries.
If you’re constantly:
❌ Getting dragged into “quick questions” that eat up your whole day
❌ Spending more time in meetings than actually working on big-picture leadership
❌ Letting urgent requests dictate your priorities
✅ What to do:
Block ‘deep work’ time. No meetings, no interruptions - just focused work on high-impact leadership tasks (I block out Mon/Weds&Fri as no meeting days).
Create ‘office hours’ for your team. Instead of answering every question immediately, set times when they can come to you. 1on1s work well for this too.
Say ‘no’ more often. If you’re constantly helping other teams or doing low-value work, push back.
Step 4: Set Expectations With Senior Leadership
Sometimes, the problem isn’t your team - it’s your boss.
If leadership still expects you to produce as if you’re not managing a team, it’s time for a conversation.
✅ How to approach it:
Clarify your priorities. Outline what leadership tasks you’re responsible for.
Show them the trade-offs. If they expect you to lead and do all the work, ask: “Which do you want me to prioritise?”
Propose a solution. Suggest shifting tasks, hiring support, or restructuring expectations.
Step 5: Accept That You’ll Feel Uncomfortable Letting Go
Stepping back will always feel weird at first.
Your team will make mistakes.
You’ll be tempted to step in and fix things.
It will feel easier to just keep doing it yourself.
But here’s the truth: Your job isn’t to be the best at doing the work anymore.
Your job is to make sure the work gets done. Without you doing it all.
Stop Being the Bottleneck
If you’re doing all the work and leading a team, it’s not because you’re “hardworking” or “indispensable.” It’s because you’re leading in a way that isn’t scalable.
Over to you,
H
P.S. Whenever you're ready, join my free 45-minute training
Your Leadership Level Up Matrix - Book a slot here.
You'll learn:
The bulletproof leadership mindset
How to prioritise like the top 1%
Tracking KPIs and getting your team to actually hit them
How to manage difficult employees, situations and conversations