The Founder Who Became the Backup Plan for Every Role
“I’m basically the backup person for every role in this company.”
I had a founder say this to me 2 weeks ago, (and he looked like he was going to vomit as he was saying it…)
His agency took on a new high-value client and the team member assigned to own the strategy got sick
.
Manager’s first move? Ask the founder to cover.
Want to know why the manager asked the founder?
Because he said yes.
He did it without thinking.
Why would he do such a thing?
- important new client
- he has the skills
- the next meeting was coming up
- the team was stretched
Hard to argue, right?
But you have to if you ever want it to change.
Of course the founder is the best at the thing, and that’s never gonna change if no one else is forced into the fire.
Every time you let the work route back to you, your team learns exactly what to do next time something goes sideways: Bring it to you.
And it gets easier and easier.
Try this instead:
- The team member who owns the deliverable also owns the recovery plan for when they can’t deliver.
- The manager figures out coverage within their resources.
- The founder stays in their lane. They are not an option.
Before, everyone owned responsibilities as long as everything went perfectly. Now everyone owns outcomes.
When you say “yes” to something, something else is getting a “no.” Your strategic work. Your pipeline. Your thinking time.
Something has to give.
Delegate ownership of outcomes. That includes the contingencies.
. In 20+ years of business, this lesson beat me up the worst.
