The leaders who solve the most problems often end up with the most problems.
At first it feels like a compliment. People trust you. You are knowledgeable. You get things done. Colleagues come to you because they know you will help.
Then, over time, something changes.
How it builds
I see this constantly with capable leaders. They genuinely want to help, so:
- A team member asks a question, and they answer it
- A stakeholder has an issue, and they solve it
- A decision needs making, and they step in
It saves time. It feels good, at least in the short term.
Until one day they notice their diary is full of problems that were never theirs, their team waits for approval before acting, and strategic work is squeezed into the gaps between operational questions. Everyone says they are indispensable.
The irony is hard to miss: the better you get at solving problems, the more thoroughly your organisation trains itself to bring them to you.
What actually changes as you grow
As your leadership grows, your value changes.
People do not need you because you have all the answers. They need you because you create the conditions for others to find them.
That is a very different role. Leadership is not about becoming the best problem solver. It is about becoming the best capability builder.
Five ways to break the cycle
1. Pause before you answer
The next time someone asks “what should I do?”, resist answering immediately. Ask instead: what have you already considered, what would you recommend, what are the options?
The goal is not to have the best answer. It is to develop better thinkers.
2. Look for repeat visitors
Think about who comes to you most often, and with what. Then ask whether it is genuinely your responsibility, or whether you have simply become the easiest route to an answer.
Recurring questions usually reveal a dependency rather than a capability gap.
3. Replace answers with ownership
Instead of “I’ll sort it”, try “what’s your next step?” and “what support do you need from me?”
A small change in language creates a large shift in ownership.
4. Audit your diary
At the end of this week, look back through your calendar.
Highlight every meeting or conversation where you solved someone else’s problem. For each one, ask whether it could have been a coaching conversation instead.
If even two of those moments become opportunities for learning, you have created more leadership capacity. For your team, and for yourself.
5. Redefine success
Many leaders quietly measure themselves by how useful they are.
There is a better question: how many people became more capable because of me this week?
That is a harder thing to count, and a much better thing to build.
First published in Level Up Leadership on LinkedIn. (opens in a new tab)
