From Chief Problem Solver to Architect of Success: The Load-Bearing Wall
Over the past couple of weeks, I've shared two ideas that I believe sit at the heart of great leadership. First, we explored the foundation. The beliefs we hold about ourselves and our role as leaders. Then we looked at the blueprint. The clarity our teams need if they're going to make good decisions without constantly relying on us.
Today, I'd like to introduce another idea. The load-bearing wall.
If you've ever renovated a house, you'll know there are some walls you can remove without much fuss. Then there are the load-bearing walls. They're holding everything up. Remove one without changing the structure, and the whole building is at risk. We renovated our kitchen last year, which meant removing a load-bearing wall. We have a very old house, and didn't know what we'd find when we started the demolition. Turns out we need to add a lot of extra metal beams in the ceiling to support the rest of the structure, and then add extra strength to an existing wall.
What I know is that many leaders become the load-bearing wall without even realising it. At first, it feels helpful.
You answer the questions because it's quicker.
You check the work because you want it done well.
You step into difficult conversations because you don't want your team to struggle.
You solve the problems because...well...you're good at it.
After all, that's probably why you were promoted in the first place. But over time, something subtle happens. Your team begins to lean on you, not because they're incapable, but because the structure you've created has taught them that's how work gets done.
Every decision comes through you.
Every approval waits for you.
Every problem lands on your desk.
Every question starts with, "Have you got a minute?"
And before long, you find yourself saying:
"I can't even take a day off."
"Everything comes back to me."
"It's just easier if I do it myself."
Here's the irony. The harder you work to hold everything together, the more essential you become, and the more essential you become, the harder it is for your team to grow.
Strong leadership isn't about becoming indispensable; it's about creating a structure that doesn't depend on you holding it together. That doesn't mean stepping away, it means strengthening the beams around you. Things like: developing capability in others, creating clarity, building their confidence, giving people room to make decisions, and allowing them to solve problems before they come to you.
Because if the only thing keeping the building standing is you...you're not leading, you're carrying the weight of the structure.
One of the questions I often ask leaders is this:
"If you took four weeks' leave tomorrow, what would happen?"
Would the team continue to function? Would decisions still be made? Would your team know what to do? Or would everything pause until you returned?
That happened to a client, who I've written about before. She returned from leave to discover her team had behaved poorly while she was away. Her manager had spent the week putting out fires. Initially, she defended her team's behaviour and justified their actions. Then she realised something - that the perspective she was leading from wasn't creating accountability. It was creating dependence.
So, this is not always a comfortable question, but it's an important one, because your success as a leader isn't measured by how many things depend on you. It's measured by how many things no longer do. That's the shift from Chief Problem Solver to Architect of Success.
The moment my client stopped asking, "How do I protect my team?" and started asking, "How do I help my team grow?" things started to change for the better.
Architects don't build organisations that rely on one wall. They design structures where every part supports the whole, and that's the kind of leadership worth building.
Where have you accidentally become the load-bearing wall? And what is one decision, conversation or responsibility you could strengthen in someone else instead of continuing to carry it yourself?
If reading this felt a little too familiar, you're not alone. Many capable leaders don't realise they've become the load-bearing wall until they're overwhelmed, exhausted, or wondering why their team still depends on them for everything.
The Are You Leading at the Right Level? Scorecard will help you identify where you're creating dependency, where you're operating below your leadership level, and the shifts that will help you build a stronger, more independent team, because the goal isn't to hold the building together yourself, it's to create a structure that stands strong because of your leadership.
Maree