Every decision runs through you? Congrats, you’re the bottleneck

Being at the center of your team’s universe might make you feel powerful—even indispensable. After all, if nothing moves forward without your input, doesn’t that mean you’re irreplaceable? Nope. It means you’re the problem. A bottleneck. The thing slowing everything down. So if you felt really powerful and irreplaceable this morning - maybe look twice ??

Here’s how to avoid clogging the workflow and keep things moving at top speed:

• Delegate, Don’t Dictate Micromanaging isn’t leadership—it’s control-freak behavior that paralyzes progress. Focus on what needs to be done, not how it gets done. Assign tasks with clear outcomes and trust your team to figure out the rest. (Look here for more insides on how to delegate)

#ImpactHack: If questions to you start with, “I wasn’t sure how you’d prefer it …” you’ve got a delegation problem. ??

• Prioritize Ruthlessly When everything’s urgent, nothing is. If you do not prioritize clearly your team is frantically juggling tasks with no clear direction. Your job is to cut through the noise. What actually moves the needle? Let the nice-to-haves die and laser focus on what actually drives results. (Look here for more insides on how to prioritise).

#ImpactHack: Remember, there’s only so much your team can handle with the resources you’ve got. Focus on what’s realistic and impactful, not just what’s theoretically possible. Stretching too thin doesn’t make you efficient; it makes you ineffective and results mediocre.

• Empower Decision-Making If every decision runs through you, congrats—you’re the bottleneck. Instead, focus on clearing the path: set clear boundaries, establish decision-making frameworks, and trust your team to act. Empower them to own their decisions, and treat mistakes as learning opportunities, not failures. When it’s your turn to decide, don’t stall it. Make the call or delegate it. Nothing kills momentum like indecision.

#ImpactHack: If you can’t make a decision, say so. It’s normal in business to face situations where it’s impossible or unwise to decide right away. Communicate the hold-up, park the topic, and give your team context on why waiting is the smarter move. Transparency keeps trust intact.

Happy new year and have an amazing start into 2025 ??

Marion