Why Everything Ends Up on the Leader’s Desk (and Why It’s Not a Leadership Failure)

It's all in the design

If everything in your organization seems to land on the leader’s desk, it’s tempting to assume there’s a leadership problem.

There usually isn’t.

What I see far more often is something quieter—and far more exhausting: leaders compensating for work that hasn’t been clearly designed.

Over time, that compensation does more damage to confidence than most people realize.

The Pattern:

Leaders think things like:

• “I feel like I’m doing everything.”

• “My team is capable, but nothing moves without me.”

• “I don’t know what’s actually mine versus what I’ve just picked up.”

This isn’t about control issues or poor delegation.

It’s about unclear roles creating invisible work.

people aren’t clear on what they own, decisions drift upward. Leaders step in “just this once.” Then again.

Then permanently.

Eventually, the leader becomes the system.

How This Impacts Confidence

Believe it or not, when leaders constantly compensate, they don’t just lose time—they lose trust in themselves.

They start to:

• Second-guess decisions

• Feel stretched thin but unable to explain why

• Question whether they’re actually effective

Not because they lack capability, but because everything feels fragile.

The Real Issue Isn’t Effort—It’s Design

Most organizations respond to this pattern by:

• Coaching leaders harder

• Encouraging better communication

• Offering time-management strategies

The focus tends to be on the leader vs. clarifying who owns what, what success looks like, and where decisions should live.

So the problem is not pulled out from the root...ever.

A Better Question to Ask

“What about this role is unclear enough that it keeps escalating?” That question shifts the conversation from blame to design.