You Built This Bottleneck

4 Thoughts to Reflect On

1. Reporting a problem is not the same as solving it.
   Awareness without action does not move the business forward.

2. Ownership reduces meetings.
   When people decide and execute, discussions shrink.

3. The best employees protect your time.
   They filter noise and only escalate what truly requires leadership.

4. If everything needs your approval, you built it that way.
   Dependency is usually trained, not accidental.

4 Lessons I’ve Learned

1. Clarity in expectations eliminates confusion in execution.
   Define outcomes, not just tasks.

2. Decision making confidence grows when you allow room for mistakes.
   People think stronger when they are trusted to act.

3. Micromanagement trains people to avoid responsibility.
   Step in too often and they will stop stepping up.

4. Strong teams think in outcomes, not tasks.
   Results matter more than activity.

4 Challenges for You This Week

1. Review the last five issues brought to you.
   Should they have been solved before reaching your desk?

2. Clarify one role this week with outcome based expectations.
   Make success measurable and obvious.

3. Identify one person who consistently brings solutions, not noise.
   Reinforce that standard publicly.

4. If you want to build around operators who expect ownership at this level, explore the DM Alliance.
   The room you sit in determines the ceiling you hit.

Quote of the Week

“You don’t build a business. You build people, and then people build the business.” — Zig Ziglar

If your calendar is full of meetings about problems, something upstream needs to change.