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Writer's pictureSimon Rojas

What occurs when leaders fail to delegate?

Are you aware that some members of your team might be reluctant to ask for help? This reluctance affects both your top performers and those who are struggling, although it might surprise you to hear that top performers are included. Today, we'll focus on why even your best team members often hesitate to seek help.

I recall a situation with an engineering lead managing a multi-million dollar project. A couple of team members mentioned that the lead had rewritten their code during the review process. The lead was very proud, telling me about staying up all night to complete this feature. At the next day's stand-up, the lead stood tall, as if they had saved day.


This lead firmly believed in the "do-it-yourself" approach to ensure speed and quality. While this method initially seemed to produce good results, it eventually led to several problems. It created a dependency where team members relied solely on the lead to complete tasks. When the lead was unavailable, progress would come to a near halt. This model provided acceptable short-term returns but it created significant long-term challenges.


Ultimately, this approach led to burnout for the lead, who ironically ended up complaining about the lack of support. Meanwhile, other team members that felt stifled in their growth left for new opportunities. Those who remained relied on the lead to carry the load.


This is a common situation that plays out across industries. I have learned strategies that help you avoid this situation altogether as well as strategies that can help you course correct if you are in this situation. If you're interested in learning more about fostering a more collaborative and sustainable team dynamic, please reach out. If you found this insight helpful, please like and share, and I'll continue to provide more content.

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