The GPS

The GPS.

You know what happens when you use GPS every single day for the same commute? You follow the blue line. You make the turns. You get there. But if the GPS dies, you realize you have no idea where you are.

That's what happens when leaders jump in to fix everything. Your team gets the right answer — but they never learn how to get there on their own.

I watch this pattern constantly. A leader sees the problem, jumps in, solves it in ten minutes, walks away feeling useful. Meanwhile, the team just learned that struggle is optional — because you'll always show up.

The more you rescue, the more rescuing your team needs. You're not building capability. You're building dependency.

Every time you jump in, your team learns one thing: wait for you.

What if you asked "What have you tried so far?" instead?