Are You Slowing Your Business Down Without Realizing It?
Many leaders (business owners) look for business slowdowns in systems or staff. Few stop to consider something harder to admit. Sometimes the bottleneck is the leader.
This is not about weakness. It is about awareness. Success often builds comfort, and comfort creates blind spots. Those blind spots can quietly slow momentum, limit innovation, and exhaust the team that is trying to support you.
This newsletter offers a clear and candid framework to help you recognize when you might be unintentionally holding your business back.
1. When Too Many Decisions Still Come Through You
If work regularly pauses until you respond, review, or approve, your team cannot move faster than your availability.
Ask yourself: Have I empowered my team to act, or have I trained them to wait for me?
2. When You Default to Handling Tasks Yourself
Leaders say this often. “It is faster if I do it.” “I will just take care of it.” “They are not ready yet.”
Doing everything yourself feels productive. It is actually restrictive. Delegation builds capacity and develops the people you rely on.
3. When Your Team Only Shares Good News
If your meetings feel agreeable or if your team only shows you polished versions of the truth, pay attention.
Teams speak openly when they feel emotionally safe. If honesty is missing, decision making suffers and innovation stops before it even begins.
4. When Feedback Makes You Defensive
It is natural to feel uncomfortable when someone challenges your work or ideas. The concern begins when discomfort turns into dismissal.
Leaders who can accept feedback without reacting protect their organizations from stagnation. A calm response builds a culture where people feel safe sharing what needs to be said.
5. When You Rely on Old Habits in a Growing Company
Businesses evolve. Leadership must evolve with them.
If you are relying on strategies that worked in the early stages but are not aligned with your current scale, you may be unintentionally slowing progress.
Growth requires new thinking and updated leadership habits.
Leadership Reset: Three Actions to Take This Week
Ask your team, “Where might I be slowing us down without realizing it”
Delegate one task you have been holding onto for no strategic reason
Make it normal for your team to question and challenge ideas
Small adjustments in awareness create significant momentum in culture and performance.
Final Thought
Your team does not need a flawless leader. They need one who is willing to examine their patterns, adjust their style, and stay open to feedback for growth.
An ego check is not a sign of insecurity. It is a sign that your leadership is evolving at the same pace you want your business to grow. Don’t forget to do periodic ego checks on yourself.
We’re ready to serve you!
Ricardo Molina
RM Leadership Academy