You’re a high performer, checking every box and finishing all your projects early. You take pride in being the one person who always gets things done. And now, after years of crushing it as an individual contributor, you’re eyeing a next-level leadership role, thinking you’ve done the work and therefore you’re ready for the next title.
But the hard truth is that just because you get a lot done doesn’t mean you’re ready to lead.
Leadership isn’t about task completion. It’s not about how many hours you work or how many projects you personally deliver.
Real leadership is about intentional influence — the kind that drives results through others.
If every person on your team could operate at full capacity without guidance, collaboration, or direction, then what would be the point of having a leader in the first place?
Leadership exists because people need someone to elevate the performance of the whole team — not just their own.
You don’t get promoted to leader because you’ve been there the longest. You don’t earn the title because you’re the best at doing the work. You earn it when you can scale your impact — when your presence, systems, and decisions empower others to win.
Let’s say you step into a new team. Their performance at the time you join them is at a 6 out of 10. A few months later, they’re operating at an 8, 9, maybe even a 10. That jump is the effect of leadership done right.
The million-dollar question is what did you actually do to make that happen?
Maybe you implemented a new process, introduced higher standards and clearer KPIs, or improved how the team collaborates, communicates, and holds each other accountable. It could be one thing. It could be five. But the most important thing is that the team’s shift wasn’t because you worked harder. It was because they performed better under your guidance.
That’s the game — and if you’re struggling to delegate, you’re not playing it.
One of the biggest career roadblocks for aspiring leaders is the inability to let go. They want the title and the responsibility, but they’re still holding onto the same task list they had before. They’re still stuck in the weeds, overwhelmed and overworked, wondering why they’re not getting promoted.
You can’t move up until you create space to rise — and you can’t create space without delegation.
If you’re at full capacity doing everything yourself, how can anyone trust you to take on more?
Leadership isn’t about piling on more responsibility. It’s about elevating others so you can focus on what only you can do.
The best leaders are constantly asking: What can I delegate today? Who on my team can I empower to own this? They’re shedding tasks, building trust, and creating capacity. That’s what unlocks the next-level impact. That’s what gets noticed.
So if you’re chasing a leadership title, stop measuring your value by how much you’re doing and start measuring it by how much your team is accomplishing because of you.
True leadership isn’t about being the hero. It’s about building a team full of them.
