Many leaders I have had the privilege of coaching are deeply committed to their roles. They care about their teams, their colleagues, and the success of their organisations. But in their desire to support others, some leaders unintentionally take on more than their fair share — more than 100% responsibility.
Let’s take Anna*, Deputy Head of a large secondary school. One of her team members, Lisa*, is responsible for creating the curriculum timetable and allocating rooms. Lisa struggles to get timely information from a stakeholder and, after repeated delays and increasing frustration, Lisa turns to Anna for help. Wanting to ease the pressure, Anna steps in and gathers the information Lisa needs. The timetable is completed on time, and everyone is satisfied.
In many workplaces, this would be seen as ‘going the extra mile’. And many organisations have a culture that celebrates those who ‘do what it takes’ to get the job done. So what’s the problem?
The issue is subtle but significant. Anna has now taken on a small part of Lisa’s role. If she does this for multiple team members, those small pieces add up — 2% here, 5% there — until Anna is carrying extra responsibility for her team on top of an already-demanding leadership role – adding up to well over 100% responsibility. This not only drains her time and energy, she risks creating a bottleneck and dis-empowering her team.
When leaders consistently take on more, they sacrifice their own capacity to lead effectively. They may even contribute to a culture where team members rely on them too heavily, rather than owning and developing in their own roles. So how do we strike the right balance between team support and delivery? It starts with exploring what 100% responsibility — no more, no less — really looks and feels like.
Here are some coaching questions to reflect on:
- Where might you be carrying more than 100% responsibility?
- Can you estimate how much extra responsibility you’re carrying? How does it affect your energy and focus?
- What opportunities do you have to empower others to fully own their roles?
- If this resonates, how does the pattern of carrying more than 100% responsibility show up elsewhere in your life?
If you recognise yourself in this pattern, it may be driven by long-held underlying beliefs, personal values as well as organisational culture. If you’d like one-to-one coaching support to break the cycle and reclaim your time and energy — and avoid the path to burnout — I’d love to help. Please click on a button below to get in touch.
* Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.
Emma Hackett 