31/08/2026
You can become too useful to your team.
And it’s easy to miss, because you think you’re doing the right thing.
I often see it when two people in your team aren’t getting on.
One comes to you with their side of the problem.
Then the other does the same.
So you listen, try to help, and before long, you’re the person they both come to whenever something happens between them.
Over the past 18 years, I’ve worked with plenty of leaders who’ve found themselves in this position.
And I’ve seen how easy it is to take responsibility for problems your team members need to sort out with each other.
When I worked with a leader in this position recently, we talked through why he kept stepping in.
I challenged them on the role they’d taken on, then we looked at how they could encourage the two team members to speak to each other directly.
That isn’t always easy when you care about the people involved.
Of course you want to help and stop things getting worse.
But every time you step in, your team members have less reason to sort it out with each other.
And when the next problem comes, they come straight back to you.
In situations like this, that’s often where my work with leaders begins.
We look at what you’re struggling with, why situations like this feel difficult, and what might help you respond differently.
If that’s where you’ve found yourself, this is something we can work through together.
