The Hidden Cost of “I’ll Just Do It Myself”

One of the most challenging aspects of leadership is determining when to intervene and when to let your team figure things out on their own.

I once had an employee with extensive experience, but he consistently provided subpar work. I’d get frustrated, fix it myself, and (sometimes) tell him what I changed. But nothing ever improved.

I eventually let him go, and it felt like a failure on my part. That experience drove me to define core values at my agency, with “Quality” and “Transparency” at the top.

My mistake started way before he joined the company. It began with my failure to define core values. After all...how could I expect him to align with my values if I didn't even take the time to think about what my values were, never mind write them down and communicate them to everyone?

Don't make the same mistake I made.

Here’s the better approach.

If your employee does something almost right, resist the urge to jump in and fix it. Jumping in teaches them nothing and builds resentment on both sides.

Instead, tell them what they did well, explain what could be better, and give them a choice: “Do you want to take another crack at this, or would you like me to walk you through how I’d do it?”

If they want to watch you, great. Talk out loud as you do it. Make it a coaching moment. But don’t make this the norm. They will eventually need to take full ownership of their work.

As leaders, our job is to develop people, not just deliver perfect work ourselves. And if we don’t speak up when something is off, we’re only setting ourselves up for disappointment.

That’s why I created a personal rule: if I see something subpar, I say something. Every time. That level of honesty, backed by core values, will strengthen your culture and grow your people.

I hope that helps.

~ Erik