Gina Gardiner Associates

One of the hardest challenges of leadership is when your team begins to depend on you for everything. Every problem is brought to your desk, so every small challenge becomes your responsibility. Before long, you are exhausted, carrying weight that was never meant to be yours alone.

I lived this cycle for far too long. At first, I thought I was being helpful - always available, always ready to solve. But then I realised something uncomfortable: by rescuing people, I was also preventing them from growing.

The turning point came with a single new rule: staff were encouraged to become solution finders rather than problem dumpers. If staff were presenting a problem I asked them to come with some thoughts of what the solution might be. At first, there was resistance. People were used to the easy option of passing the burden upward. But gradually, something remarkable began to shift.

Staff began thinking differently. They came prepared. They began owning their work in a new way. And instead of saying, "Here's the problem," they started saying, "Here's what I think we should do."

It was no longer about me being the fixer. It was about me being the coach and mentor, guiding, supporting, encouraging, but letting them step into their own leadership.

What I discovered was this: empowerment doesn't happen by chance. It happens when you create a culture where people are expected to think, to solve, and to grow.

As you reflect on your own leadership this week, ask yourself:

Am I solving problems that others could solve with a little guidance?

Am I rescuing, or am I coaching?

What might change if I expected solutions, not just problems?

You may be surprised at just how capable your people really are, once you give them permission, and an expectation that they can rise to the occasion.

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