The CEO’s Guide To Building A Massive Self-Sustaining Team Now
Lisa Goldenthal
High-Performance Executive Coach. C-Suite Leadership Transformation. Founder of High Performance Coaching Artificial Intelligence Leadership. Speaker. Best-Selling Author.
Did you know??75% of executives say their teams don’t perform to their full potential.?(Source: McKinsey)
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And before you think,?“Great, so this is on me?”—let’s clear something up:
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It’s NOT your fault.
You didn’t hire a team just so you could spend your days?micromanaging, babysitting, and solving problems that shouldn’t even be yours.
You hired them to?run the business so you could lead it. But here’s the problem:?Most teams aren’t built to run without you.
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The good news? That’s fixable. Let’s break down how to turn your team into a?self-sustaining machine?so you can?step back, scale up, and stop being the bottleneck.
1. Are You Leading… or Just Putting Out Fires?
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Signs You’re More of a Firefighter Than a CEO:
You spend more time fixing?day-to-day problems?than thinking about growth.
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Decisions?stall?unless you personally approve them.
The phrase “I’ll just do it myself”?comes out of your mouth way too often.
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Fix It Fast:
Identify?recurring fires—if you’re constantly fixing the same issues, it’s a process problem, not a people problem.
Create?decision-making rules?so your team knows?who owns what?(without running to you).
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2. The Leadership Myth That’s Keeping You Stuck
Most executives believe?“If I want something done right, I have to do it myself.”
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That’s not leadership—that’s?career suicide.
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Fix It Fast:
Stop being the?bottleneck. Start empowering your team to?own?projects from start to finish.
Ask yourself,?“If I took a month off, what would break?”?→?Fix that first.
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3. The Power of Process: How to Clone Your Best People
If your?top performer quits tomorrow, does your business take a?small hit?or a?total nosedive?
A business that scales isn’t built on key individuals—it’s built on repeatable systems.
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Fix It Fast:
Document?core processes—so knowledge isn’t trapped in people’s heads.
Cross-train employees so?no single person holds all the power.
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Processes give you freedom. Chaos keeps you chained.
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4. Stop Managing—Start Coaching
Managing =?Telling people what to do. Coaching =?Building leaders who don’t need you.
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The best leaders don’t just run a team—they develop future leaders.
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Fix It Fast:
Give?feedback that builds independence—instead of answering every question, ask?“What do you think the next step should be?”
Invest in?leadership development—because a team that grows is a team that stays.
5. The Delegation Formula Every CEO Needs to Know
Delegation isn’t dumping work on people—it’s giving them ownership.
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But if you’re like most leaders, you’re delegating?tasks, not outcomes.
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Fix It Fast:
Delegate?the result, not just the steps.?Instead of “Do X, Y, Z,” say?“Own this project and bring me the solution.”
Set?clear expectations?but?get out of the way.
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6. Why Micromanagement Is Killing Your Team (and Your Sanity)
Micromanaging =?Slow execution, low morale, and CEOs who work way too many hours.
If you’re?involved in every tiny detail, your team will:
Stop taking initiative.
Wait for your approval on?everything.
Secretly?resent you.
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Fix It Fast:
Focus on?results, not methods.?If they get the job done, does it matter?how?they did it?
Set?checkpoints, not chokeholds.
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7. The Culture Shift That Separates Good Teams from Great Ones
Your team culture is either:
A?force multiplier?that fuels success.
A?silent productivity killer?that slows everything down.
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Fix It Fast:
Audit your culture: Do people feel?trusted, valued, and empowered?
Model?ownership and accountability.
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source: https://giphy.com/gifs/high-five-dancing-super-amazing-shit-r2BtghAUTmpP2
8. The CEO’s Secret Weapon: Recognition
Most leaders focus on?what’s broken?instead of?what’s working.
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Fact:?Recognized employees are?5X more likely to stay engaged.?(Source: Gallup)
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Fix It Fast:
Celebrate wins?publicly and frequently.
Make recognition?specific and meaningful.
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A little appreciation goes a long way.
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9. The Exit Test: Could You Step Away Without Chaos?
Ask yourself this:
If you disappeared for?30 days, what would happen?
Would work grind to a halt?
Or would your team?keep executing at a high level?
If it’s the first option, your business is?too dependent on you.
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Fix It Fast:
Systematize everything.
Develop leaders who can step up when you step out.
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Your goal isn’t to work more—it’s to build something that works without you.
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Your Next Step: Boss Up & Execute
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Ready to build a team that doesn’t rely on you for every little thing?
You don’t need?more meetings.?You need a system.
That’s why I created the?Boss Up & Execute Planner.
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It’s the exact system I use to:
Build a?self-sustaining team
Scale?without burnout
Free up?more time for strategy, less for firefighting
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BONUS:?Buy the?Boss Up & Execute Planner?today and get a?FREE 15-minute Boss Up & Execute Coffee Chat with me.
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Reply with “BOSS” for the link to grab your planner and book your session.
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The best CEOs don’t work more—they execute better. Let’s make that happen.?
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Energy & Operations Expert | Maximising Asset Performance & Project Efficiency
3 天前Excellent article, Lisa Goldenthal! Establishing a self-sufficient team through effective processes and empowerment is key to scalability and long-term success.
Speaker?? Consultant ?? Podcaster ???Wealth Coach → I turn CEOs, Coaches & Americans into revenue rockets ?? $1B+ Client Rev. For fun: I Help People Get Paid To Speak & Make ?? Tax-Free ?? DM 'STAGES' or 'TAX-FREE'??
5 天前Keep on rocking Lisa Goldenthal
Non-Executive Director | Board Director | CEO | Digital Transformation Expert | Corporate Strategist | Governance Leader | LegalTech & Risk Innovator | 6X TEDx Speaker | Author | IBDC.D | Made in Ukraine ????
5 天前Lisa Goldenthal, this is a powerful breakdown of what truly separates high-performing teams from ones that keep CEOs stuck in the weeds. The “Exit Test” question is especially revealing—so many leaders unknowingly build teams that revolve around them instead of around systems. One thing I’d add: Psychological safety is the secret sauce that makes all of this work. Even with clear processes and delegation, teams won’t fully own their work if they fear failure or second-guess their authority. How do you coach leaders to create a culture where employees feel safe enough to take real ownership?
Helping Professionals Unlock Peak Performance & Master Stress | Neuro Agility + 3-Min Resets
5 天前Great article Lisa Goldenthal particularly the bottle neck aspect.
Awesome share.