What if the biggest bottleneck in your business… is YOU?
Harsh? Maybe.
True? Often.
Imagine steering a ship with a broken compass. Your crew might be rowing like their lives depend on it, but without a clear direction, you’re all just going in circles. Leadership works the same way. When things feel stuck, it’s often the leader—yes, you—who needs to recalibrate.
Think about Uber under Travis Kalanick or Wells Fargo’s scandals. In both cases, the toxic culture didn’t magically appear—it started at the top.
The bottom line is – “What’s good for the goose (leader) is good for the gander (employee).”
If you, as a leader, want employees to act a certain way, you must live the values, model the behaviour, and show them what acceptable culture looks like. That’s when culture truly becomes “how employees act when the CEO isn’t looking.”
It starts with asking the hard question: What if the bottleneck is me?
1-1-1 Breakdown for Overcoming Leadership Bottlenecks:
Take a step back and analyse your leadership. Are you micromanaging, avoiding difficult conversations, or resisting change? Your team’s behaviour often mirrors yours.
→ Remember: Leadership isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being self-aware enough to identify what’s holding you back.
Want your team to be innovative? Show them what that looks like. Need better communication? Lead with transparency. Culture starts with what you do, not what you say.
→ Do this now: Identify one behavior you want to see more of in your team and commit to modeling it this week.
Be brutally honest. The answer could reveal exactly what needs to change.
Taking the Next Big Leap begins with awareness. Recognising that your leadership habits, decisions, or blind spots might be slowing things down is the first step. Then comes the courage to change. Whether it’s embracing feedback, empowering your team, or stepping back from micromanaging, every small shift you make will ripple outward into your organisation.
Your team isn’t just following your orders—they’re following your example.
Thanks for Reading!
Hey! I’m Alkesh Agarwal.
An entrepreneur and investor who believes that as we dive into 2025, let’s take bold leaps, embrace growth, and focus on what truly matters – Health, Happiness, and meaningful progress. Here’s to making every step of the journey count!
Start your leap with these tools and ideas:
Read: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek —Learn how great leaders create cultures of trust and accountability.
Watch: This TED Talk on leadership and influence —Insights on how leaders shape organizational culture.
Try This Tool: Monday —A tool to delegate and avoid micromanaging while keeping the team aligned.
