Why your team still sees you as a doer (not a leader)
and the FASTEST path to change it
Hey team, happy Tuesday.
I’m in Zurich this week with a client, working closely with their MD. They’ve got 65 people on the team now which is always a tricky stage of growth.
It’s too big for the MD to keep eyes on everything… But not quite big enough that all the systems and leadership layers are in place.
And it’s exactly when the cracks start to show.
Middle managers, as always, are the make-or-break layer for businesses going through this growth.
When they’re clear, confident, and aligned, the whole company runs smoothly. But when they’re underdeveloped or unsure, you get silos, duplicated work, and senior leaders being dragged back into the weeds.
That’s the work I’m doing here this week. Working with the management team to step into real, systemised leadership, not just “doing.”
For the middle managers, if senior leadership always sees you as the one who jumps in and fixes, they’ll never see you as the person who can scale a team.
If you want the next title or seat at the table, the shift is simple: stop measuring yourself by what you personally delivered, and start showing how your team delivered without you. Here’s how…
Most of us are still doers
Most of us became managers because we were reliable, fast, and great at our jobs.
So when things get messy, the default is to jump back in and do it ourselves.
But the cost is high. Your team stops owning results. They wait for you to step in.
To them, you’re not the leader building capability… you’re the safety net picking up the slack.
The tell-tale signs you’re still the “doer”:
You leave work drained, because you’ve solved everyone else’s problems on top of your own.
Team members come to you for answers, not with solutions.
Deadlines get met only if you personally push them over the line.
If this sounds familiar, here are…
Two quick fixes you can try this week:
1. Change your default response
When someone brings you a problem, resist the urge to solve it.
Instead, ask:
“What do you think we should do?”
“What have you tried so far?”
That simple shift pushes ownership back onto them.
2. Redefine success.
Stop measuring yourself by “how much I got done.” Instead ask:
“How much did my team deliver without me?”
These tweaks won’t solve everything, but they’ll give you a taste of what it feels like to step out of the doer role.
But here’s the truth
Those small changes only scratch the surface.
If you want to fully step out of “super contributor mode” and into being the leader who scales a capable, accountable team… You need a system.
And that’s exactly what I built with Fresh Start.
Over 6 weeks, you’ll get the frameworks, scripts, and accountability tools to:
Delegate without constantly chasing
Build respect and trust without having to prove yourself daily
Create a team that hits results without you being the bottleneck
So, if you’re ready to stop being the doer, and finally build a team that delivers without you, join the Fresh Start waitlist here. More info coming soon.
And by the way, this is from my personal inbox, so if you have any questions whatsoever, just respond to this email. I’ll see it and always get back to you.
All the best,
H