The Weight of Responsibility (And Not Carrying It All)
The Weight of Responsibility (And Not Carrying It All)
Imagine strapping on a heavy backpack and climbing a mountain. Not a short walk. Ten, twelve hours. Intense terrain. Thin air.
After a while you stop noticing the weight. It just becomes normal. But your body is paying for it. Your steps get smaller. Your decisions get slower. You're still moving, but you're not moving well.
That's what it looks like when we carry too much as leaders.
And here's the thing. Most of us don't even realise we're doing it.
We're tired. Exhausted. Rushed. Constantly busy. Not stopping to think before we act. And somewhere in all of that, we've become the person everyone brings everything to. Because we'll sort it. We always do.
It feels like leadership. It feels like being helpful. If we're really honest, it feels like being liked.
But every time we solve something for someone else, we put another rock in our pack and take one out of theirs. And over time, without meaning to, we've diminished the people around us. Not by being cruel. By not giving them the opportunity to think for themselves.
We became the rescuer. But we're actually the one who needs rescuing.
A 2023 Deloitte report found that when we consistently step into problem solving, team ownership quietly drops. Not because people are disengaged. Because they've learned they don't need to be. We taught them that.
The shift is simple. Not easy, but simple.
Next time someone brings you a problem, instead of reaching for the answer, try asking: "What do you think we should do?"
Stay with them. Don't rescue them. Let them carry their own pack for a bit.
Because when someone else takes even a little of the weight, something shifts. You stand taller. You can look up and see where you're actually going. The mountain doesn't get smaller. But suddenly you feel like you can climb it.
The Conversation
Think about who you're currently rescuing. And ask yourself honestly, are you helping them grow, or are you just carrying their weight because it's faster and it feels good?
Because the heaviest pack on the mountain isn't always the work. Sometimes it's everything we took on that was never ours to carry.
Go well this week
Mary-Anne