What I’m Seeing in Leaders Right Now

Lately, I’ve been having the same conversations with leaders across different industries: founders, operators, owners, nonprofit leaders. Different contexts, different industries, same themes.

None of them are lazy. None of them don’t care. Most of them are deeply invested in their teams.

And most of them are tired.

Leaders are tired of “managing”

What I’m hearing isn’t, “I don’t want to lead.”
It’s more like, “I didn’t sign up to babysit.”

Many leaders feel like they’re constantly following up, correcting work, or stepping in to fix things that shouldn’t need fixing. Managing has started to feel reactive instead of strategic, and that can be so draining.

When leadership turns into constant cleanup, it’s usually a signal that something upstream is missing.

There’s confusion between accountability and control

A lot of leaders want accountability but don’t want to micromanage.

The problem is, when expectations aren’t clear, control becomes the default. Leaders step in not because they want to but because they don’t trust the outcome.

Accountability isn’t about watching more closely. It’s about being clear enough that you don’t have to.

Without shared clarity on what “good” looks like, leaders either overcorrect or disengage. Neither works for long.

Many leaders want to delegate but don’t have the systems to do it

Delegation comes up in almost every conversation.

“I need to get out of the day-to-day.”
“I should be able to hand this off.”
“I don’t want everything to run through me.”

But delegation without systems creates anxiety for everyone.

When roles, decision rights, success metrics, and communication rhythms aren’t defined, delegation feels risky. Leaders hold on tighter, teams hesitate to step up, and frustration grows on both sides.

What looks like a people issue is often a systems gap.

Clarity, not motivation, is usually the missing piece

When teams struggle, leaders often assume motivation is the problem.

What I see more often is a lack of clarity:

• Unclear role purpose

• Vague expectations

• No shared definition of success

• Inconsistent feedback loops

Most people want to do good work. They just need to know what good looks like and how their work connects to the bigger picture.

Clarity reduces friction. It builds confidence. It creates space for leaders to lead instead of manage.

A final thought

If leadership feels heavier than it used to, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.

It usually means you’ve outgrown the systems that got you here.

And that’s not a failure, it’s a signal.