The Capacity Paradox: Why Doing More Is Keeping You Stuck

In this episode, Jill Griffin breaks down the capacity paradox, why leaders feel maxed out and how to expand without doing more covering:

 • Why capacity isn’t about taking on more work
 • How first principles help you see what’s actually true
 • How to separate signal from noise in complex situations
 • What you’re carrying that isn’t yours 

Transcript

When Leaders Become The Landing Zone

Expert Energy And The Weeds

Slow Down To Build Capacity

Carry Your Own Backpack

Speaker 1:05

Hey there. I am Jill Griffin, your host. And today on The Career Refresh, we are talking about a leadership paradox that I'm seeing a lot. I mean, I've seen it throughout my career. I've definitely fallen victim to it, but I'm seeing it more and more as the velocity of business, AI, change, restructuring, everyone's trying to figure out where we're going. All this is happening. And this paradox is happening at a level that I don't think as many people realize it. It's sort of like right under your nose. And what it is, is that you need to expand your capacity, but you're already at capacity. So the default is like, all right, well, I have to figure out how to do more and I have to work harder and I'm gonna have to figure out how I'm gonna get this all done, right? So you stay later, you push yourself because I'll just do it myself. It's faster. And this is where leaders start to get stuck because the issue is not effort. I'm gonna say that again because the issue has never been effort. In my own experience and in the high-level leaders that I'm working with, they are some of the most hardworking, capable, highly intelligent, performing, working at, you know, really innovative small businesses to the magnificent seven, right? It is all of that. And of these people that I've encountered, effort is not the problem. The problem is how we're thinking about the situation. Because here's what I'm consistently seeing, right? I'm seeing that leaders don't become overwhelmed just because of the volume of work, right? Because most of us, if we're performing at this level, we like it. We want to be busy, we want to be challenged. I want my palms to be a little sweaty. I want to like, oh, I don't know how I'm gonna figure this out, right? If you're performing at this level, that's just par for the course. That's what you want. So we're not getting overwhelmed just because of the volume of work. What we are becoming overwhelmed is because they think everything comes to them and they become the place where everything lands. You are the decision maker. You are the problem solver. You are like the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, right? No, but seriously, you're the person that when things start to fall through the cracks, we're gonna call you, right? Up, Jill, you're up. We we need you, we need you in here on this problem. You're the one who's probably rewriting or tweaking or up-leveling the work because sometimes it's just faster to do that than explain it again. And there's truth to that, but that's also part of the paradox, right? So instead of telling, like, instead of coaching someone and asking them, who, what, tell me more, how would you type questions? We then often just do it ourselves, right? And then we're not slowing down. We're not being like, hey, wait, what is the better question here? Because suddenly it feels like a luxury. Like that's a time that I don't have to teach them again. So at some point, at first it's gradually, and then it happens all at once. Everything stops working, right? You're starting to feel this like strangulation in it. And your leadership style doing this starts to become a bottleneck. And while many people were like, oh, it's leaders, she's she's covering things, she knows what's going on. It's actually where I joke and say, it's a bottleneck with a good reputation, right? You've got the credibility, but you are the bottleneck. There is a fragility here. If you have to be the one to do it, if you have to be the one that if you're not there, the team isn't performing. You know, I was talking with a client just this morning around how expert energy can work for you and against you. Listen, if you are my engineer on a project, I need you to be the expert. And I need you to know everything that's going on and all the detail. But if I call you into the ELT and we're asking you some questions around when this is going to deliver and when you're getting the next piece over to product and has marketing stepped in, and you're taking me through the drag of the weeds, and now I'm in the undertow of all the level of detail, that expert energy has just killed the room. Because right now they need to make a business decision. They don't need you in the weeds. They need you thinking up a higher level to figure out how your role, if we're following through with the threat of engineering, how your role in engineering is impacting across the house. I often talk about how we need to be looking at things horizontally, not just vertically. How is what I'm doing in my department and my task, how is that going to affect sales and operations and finance and supply chain and product? How is it going to impact them? And that's the conversation. So if you're the one who has to do it all, you are a bottleneck with a good reputation. All right. So what's the way through? Well, we know that it's not necessarily about doing less, but it is about stepping back and it is about slowing down. And it is about seeing the situation differently and it's getting clear on actually what matters. And that's then how you build the capacity to act, right? We're going to separate the signal from the noise. We're going to understand where your energy is actually going and where you are making intentional choices because you need to do something else instead. It's building the conditions where the people around you are carrying their own thinking, right? Because everybody's got to start carrying their own backpack. You can't be the one where everyone has to come to you for the answers. You can lay the vision. But here's what I often say is we end up teaching people, and it becomes a little bit of like learned helplessness because they're like, you know what? It's all right, Jill's got it. No, no, no. Come to me with your challenges. Absolutely. But the challenge or the question should not be, what do I do? The question should be, Jill, I've thought through this particular thing. And if I go with option one, here's what I'm seeing. And if I go with option two, here's what I'm seeing. So I would love to get your guidance. My gut is to go towards option two, but I'm a little bit unsure about this. Can I get some feedback? Right now you're stepping in as a leader and you're giving that level of expertise just in that area versus having to problem solve for everything. If you are not thinking through that problem first, don't put an appointment on my calendar. You better be thinking through that piece first because I've got to worry about my challenges and I can't carry your load too. And that's what I mean by carrying your own backpack. I'm not talking about not training people or up-leveling them or nurturing them. Yes, that is a leader. The leadership is created the capacity for others to do it. It's created the capacity to care for those people, but it's training them and coaching them. And that's what I want you to start thinking about, right? It's making sure that they are owning their own capabilities and their own accountabilities. Because when you stop being the ceiling for them, then you can start being the catalyst. And that's where it starts to expand, right? It's not about more hours or more effort. It's about a different way of seeing and operating. And where I'm seeing that kind of shift happen, it doesn't then happen in isolation, right? This is where real challenges start shifting. We start asking different questions. I would also say, like asking better or the right questions. This is where we start to change. So this is also the work that I do with leaders, right? And this is where we're going deeper and thinking through what is this next level of leadership? And who do I need to be as a leader? So that's what I'm gonna lead you with this week, right? If this is landing for you, if that little hum in the background that something needs to shift is starting to get louder, that's the signal I want you to start paying attention to. Your next era of leadership is much closer than you think. All right, friends, you know, as always, I love to hear from you. So I want to know what you're working on, what you're leading, where your challenges are. Email me at hello at gealderfincoaching.com. And I am also doing a cohort this spring of six to eight women actually working on the next era of leadership. And as I say, guys, you know I love you, fellas, but this is for the ladies only. All the details are on the show notes. They're also in my website. If this sounds like something you're interested in, get in there, fill out the application. Let's get to know each other a little bit and see if this is the right next step. It's a virtual room, but I would love to have you in the room. All right, friends, as always, be intentional, be inspired, and always, always, always be kind. I'll see you soon.