Step Back So Your Team Can Step Up

Howdy!
In today’s newsletter, I want to talk about something that comes up a lot as your company grows:

You can’t be involved in everything—and you shouldn’t try to be.

Founders are naturally hands-on. We know every detail. We care deeply. We move fast.
But over time, that level of involvement—if not adjusted—becomes a ceiling.

Because if you are the only person who can approve, review, or make final calls…
Then, very quickly, you’ll find that you become the bottleneck.

Bottlenecks aren’t always obvious.

They’ll typically show up like this:

Slow decisions despite having a fast-moving team.

High-performing employees who find themselves feeling stuck.

Delays caused by “just waiting on one last sign-off.”

In early-stage companies, this happens all the time. It’s not failure, it’s friction. And it’s a sign you’ve outgrown a system that used to work.

Your job is to build the machine—not be the machine.

If everything runs through you, you’re not building something scalable; you’re building something dependent.

Leadership at scale means designing systems, processes, and people who can function without you in the middle of every decision.

That’s not stepping back.
That’s stepping up.

Here’s how I stay out of the bottleneck zone:

I set clear expectations around outcomes, not tasks.

I give my team full ownership over their lanes.

I create checklists and systems so decisions don’t live in my head.

I step in when needed—but not by default.

This results in faster decisions, better alignment, and way more trust.
Not to mention…more space for me to think, build, and lead at a higher level.

Important question to ask yourself this week:

What’s one thing you’re still doing that your team is ready to take off your plate?