Yeah, I said it.
Look, I get it. Hustle culture has tricked all of us into believing that grinding 24/7 is the secret to success. First one in, last one out. Always on. The leader who “works harder than everyone else.”
Sounds noble, right? Except… what if I told you that might actually be proof that you are doing it wrong?
The “Hard Work” Trap
One of my clients had that exact realization recently.
For years, he wore his insane workload like a badge of honor. Every decision ran through him. Every problem landed on his desk. If the company was a machine, he was the one dude sprinting on the hamster wheel, trying to power the whole thing with sheer force.
At first, it worked. The business grew, and he got a reputation for being the guy who could “handle anything.” But here’s the thing about doing everything yourself—eventually, you become the problem.
It all came to a head when he hit a wall.
No matter how hard he worked, nothing got easier. His team was busy but not effective. His calendar looked like a game of Tetris on expert mode, stacked with non-stop meetings, decision-making bottlenecks, and fire drills. And the worst part? He had zero time to think strategically because he was too busy fighting fires.
The Brutal Truth: He Was the Bottleneck
So we had the hard conversation.
Me: “What’s your actual job?”
Him: “To lead.”
Me: “Cool. And does leadership mean doing everyone’s job for them?”
Him: “…Crap.”
That’s when it clicked.
He wasn’t leading—he was just running around solving. And because he had trained his team to rely on him for everything, they had stopped making decisions on their own.
This is the trap so many executives fall into. They think that being constantly busy means they are being effective. But real leadership is not about doing more—it is about making sure the right things get done without you having to touch everything.
The Shift: From Doing to Leading
So, we ripped apart his structure.
We mapped out exactly where his time was going. We identified every single decision, task, and fire that should have never landed on his plate in the first place. Then, we built a system to make sure his team actually owned their roles instead of waiting for him to swoop in.
Within weeks, everything changed.
• His team stepped up instead of waiting for him to fix everything.
• His systems started working, so he wasn’t stuck in the weeds.
• He finally had time to think strategically, instead of just reacting all day.
And the best part? He was finally leading instead of managing chaos.
So, Are You the Problem?
Brutal question, but if you are constantly drowning in work, it might be time to look in the mirror.
Ask yourself:
• Are you the first stop for every problem in your business?
• Do decisions bottleneck at you because your team is afraid to move without your approval?
• Is your calendar so full of meetings that you have no time to actually think about the future?
• Are you secretly proud of how much you work, even though deep down, you know it’s unsustainable?
If you answered yes to any of these, congratulations. You do not have a work ethic problem. You have a leadership problem.
The Fix: Work Less, Achieve More
Real leaders do not win by working the hardest. They win by building systems and teams that make their effort go further.
If you want to break free from the grind and start actually leading, here’s where to start:
1. Track Your Time – For one week, write down everything you do. Highlight anything that should not actually require you to handle it.
2. Empower Your Team – If every decision runs through you, your team is not actually leading. Start delegating authority, not just tasks.
3. Simplify Your Systems – If you are always putting out fires, your systems are broken. Fix them before they break you.
4. Create Real Accountability – Your team should own their roles, not just their tasks. Make expectations crystal clear and hold people to them.
5. Let Go of the Hero Mentality – If your company cannot run without you, that is not leadership. That is job security in disguise.
Final Thought
My client thought he needed to work harder. What he actually needed was a better system.
Now?
He is working less but achieving more. His team is stepping up. The business is growing. And he finally has the clarity, space, and strategy to do the real work of a leader.
So let me ask you again.
Is your “hard work” actually moving the business forward, or are you just keeping the wheels spinning?
If you are ready to stop running yourself into the ground and start running a business that actually works, let’s talk.
About Michael King
Michael King is an award-winning executive coach and the founder of Teams.Coach, Gawker Traffic, and CatalystCo. With two master’s degrees in Leadership and Executive Coaching from Bellevue University, he helps high-performing executives simplify complexity, optimize their leadership, and build teams that actually work.
A certified executive coach, Michael has spent years guiding Fortune 500 leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams through the real work of leadership—creating clarity, building systems, and driving results without the burnout.
When he’s not coaching, Michael is an accomplished singer/songwriter and music producer with over 100 published songs to his credit. He’s also a Ducati aficionado, a die-hard Apple fan, and probably has a Starbucks in his hand right now.
