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I thought being a leader meant to know all the answers and make all the decisions.

I was the "man”!

Strong, reliable, and always running ahead of everyone else, leading the way.

It confused me that my team was so sluggish to follow.

I had so much enthusiasm for our project, but I was the only one with that energy.

The members of my team were mute in meetings.
They were not thinking for themselves, coming to me for every tiny decision.
And they were slow to bring work results.

We had a massive problem.

We were stuck and didn't go anywhere.

I alone couldn't do the work of everyone in the company.

Well, as so often, I was the problem, and I would have never considered the reasons.

Some of my best traits and habits were crippling my team.

Here are the 8 traits that turned me accidentally into a diminisher leader.

1. You're the saviour

When there was a problem, I was ready to jump in and save the day.

My team knew if something didn't go as planned, Marcel would solve it.

So, they didn't take responsibility for their work.

I never thought being the white knight would make me the bad guy.

My team never developed problem-solving skills because I took the pen out of their hands.

They were utterly dependent on me as their leader.

Instead of taking the responsibility away from my team, I let them figure it out themselves.

I only gave solution outlines or helped them reflect by asking questions.

They were working independently and more productive than ever before in no time.

2. You're an optimist

As founders, we sometimes believe so strongly in our vision that we act like there are no problems.

Everything is great; we just need to finish this next little milestone, and then we're nearly there.

Oh, and that next next milestone, but then we're definitely taking a break.

This optimistic behaviour can downplay problems or make team members feel unseen.

The team will lose trust in you and your vision the more you try to convince them otherwise.

Keep a balanced approach to optimism and pessimism.

Be realistic and listen to every concern your team has.

Then, address these concerns and treat them with the necessary respect.

There are other ways than blind optimism to motivate and encourage trust in your vision.

3. You're always-on

My co-founder and I loved our project and vision and were always on a mission.

When we added more people to the project, they didn't seem as enthusiastic as we were.

Why were they not similarly hyped?
Why didn't they put in every waking hour to make our vision a reality?

Because they didn't have the same feeling of ownership over the project as we did.

They were there to help us realize our vision.

And they were overwhelmed by us founders being always on.

I had high energy and was always present.

The team felt they couldn't keep up, and I kept them from their actual work with my constant presence.

So they drew back.

I learned to share my thoughts in moderation and at the right time.

I also learned to set healthy boundaries for myself.

When to be available and when to take time for myself.

That's better for my health and the productivity of my team. Win-Win.

4. You're a fountain of ideas

A closely related bad habit was sharing my newest ideas constantly with the team.

This led to confusion and pressure on my team.

They didn't know if what I was sharing was the project's new direction or just something we could do.

Additionally, they got overwhelmed by the amount of input I had to share.

They didn't get around to sharing their ideas or doing their work.

To fix this, share your ideas at the right time and space.

Hold brainstorming sessions, for example, to share ideas for the project's future.

You can also keep a log of ideas to remove them from your brain temporarily.

5. You set the pace

I did 70-hour work weeks back then, with no weekends or vacations.

This wasn't healthy for me, no matter how much I thought I could handle it.

But to my surprise it also wasn't healthy for my team.

I never expected my team to show the same dedication to the project.

But no matter how often I told them, they still felt compelled to follow my example.

They didn't take vacations, and they were always available.

Leading by example means that I need to show healthy habits.

And my capacity is not the same as everyone else's capacity.

Great leadership means I set a pace that everyone can comfortably follow.

Don't worry. They will get faster in no time if they're not left behind.

6. You respond immediately

I answered any question on our team's Discord server within minutes.

No matter the time or timezone I was in.

I didn't help my team with my constant availability and quick blocker removal.

As a result of my constant presence, my team stopped thinking for themselves.

They didn't develop problem-solving skills for themselves.

And in some cases, they didn't even attempt to solve the problem.

My team entirely depended on me, and I was the bottleneck.

I could have as well worked alone and here is the crazy part.

When I stopped being available and took two days to respond, the problems disappeared.

Until I answered my team, they had solved the problem alone.

I wasn't needed anymore; my team was capable of working independently.

7. You're the protector

I am also great at foreseeing any problems, challenges or setbacks coming up.

I tried to protect my team from all of them by adjusting the course and giving input long before it was relevant.

Because of this, they never learned to think ahead.

Take a step back and let your team make their mistakes.

As long as they're not causing great damage to the company, let them make their own experiences.

They will learn and start to look at the greater picture.

The great thing about this is that your team will take more ownership of the project.

As the leader, you are no longer needed, and you can focus on what is relevant.

8. You're a perfectionist

My team was afraid to take responsibility.

This was due to the high standards I set for myself and the work of everyone around me.

I am a perfectionist, after all.

I was holding releases back because I was nitpicking tiny alignment errors in our UI.

Or I let them rewrite whole code sections because the solution was not scalable enough for my taste.

These are all things that 99% of our users would never notice.

Setting clear goals and expectations for everyone is essential if you're a perfectionist.

These expectations are not the highest possible.

We need to define "good enough” goals.

Set rules for when work is "good enough” and which things are considered bugs that need to be fixed in the future.

This way, your team is more comfortable taking responsibility.

The quality standards of your team will rise the more responsibility they take.

These are the 8 traits of an accidental diminisher.

What is your score?

How many of these habits did you spot in yourself?

Which one is your worst trait?

Tell me on LinkedIn.

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8 traits that make you an accidental diminisher leader