Do Managers Have It All Wrong? The Hard Truth About Letting Go to Lead

Most managers rise to their position because they were the best doers. They were the fixers, the people who rolled up their sleeves and made things happen. They built their careers by being hands‑on, tackling problems head‑on, and making sure every detail was done right. But here’s the paradox: the very thing that made them successful is now holding them — and their team — back.

I’ve worked with countless managers who operate like one‑man (or one‑woman) bands. They swoop in, save the day, and walk out with a sense of pride. Yet when they take a vacation, the office doesn’t just skip a beat — it grinds to a halt. The phone rings and goes unanswered, work piles up, and the team stands still, unsure of where to turn.

Here’s the hard truth: If your office can’t run smoothly when you’re away, you aren’t a manager. You’re a bottleneck.

The best managers aren’t doing the work themselves. They’re creating an environment where the work can be done — and done well — by their team. The best leaders don’t try to win every point or make every play themselves. They coach their team to win. Just like in sports, a great coach doesn’t try to run down the field and make the tackle. They teach the players how to win the game.

And this is where so many managers stumble. They fear letting go. They fear that their team can’t possibly match their own level of precision or quality. They justify staying in the weeds with self‑limiting beliefs: “They can’t do it as well as I can.” “They won’t take the initiative.” “It’s just easier if I do it myself.” These aren’t truths — they’re stories we tell ourselves to justify staying in the role of the doer.

The reality is this: What made you successful in the past can handicap your future if you don’t evolve. True leaders multiply themselves by teaching, coaching, and allowing their team to step up. True leaders step out of the role of doer and into the role of coach.

It takes a shift — both mentally and practically — to accept that your role is no longer to fix every problem, but to build a team that can fix it when you’re not there. It’s scary for many, because it means letting go of the comfort and identity built from doing the work. But making that shift is the very thing that separates a manager from a true leader.

If you’re a manager feeling overworked, exhausted, or stuck, ask yourself this: Will your office run just as well when you’re away? Will your team rise to the challenge? If the answer is no, it’s time for a new chapter. Time to step out of the role of doer and into the role of coach. True leaders don’t win the game — they build teams that win it for them.