One question consistently creates reflection during leadership programs.
“What problem am I solving that someone else is capable of solving themselves?”
The responses are often immediate.
Approving routine decisions.
Responding to issues team members could address.
Following up work that should already be owned elsewhere.
Providing answers before questions have been fully explored.
Most leaders do not set out to create dependency.
In fact, many are trying to be helpful.
The challenge is that helping and developing are not always the same thing.
When leaders consistently step in with solutions, work often moves faster in the short term.
Problems get resolved.
Decisions are made.
The day continues.
Over time, however, a different pattern can emerge.
People become increasingly reliant on the leader for direction.
Confidence in decision-making weakens.
Ownership shifts upwards.
The leader becomes the person everyone turns to.
Eventually the very capability the leader hoped to build becomes harder to develop.
Leaders want initiative, yet initiative requires room to think, experiment and occasionally make mistakes.
This is where a coaching mindset becomes valuable.
Rather than immediately providing answers, leaders become curious.
They ask questions.
They encourage problem-solving.
They help people think through options and consequences.
The goal is not to remove support.
The goal is to develop capability.
Leadership is not measured by how many problems a leader can solve personally.
Its impact is often better reflected in how many people become capable of solving problems independently.
That takes patience.
It takes trust.
And it requires leaders to occasionally resist the temptation to be the smartest person in the room.
