Frustrated By Your Team? This Shift Might Help.

Is there a lack of clarity withing your organization? Perhaps your team members aren’t making their deadlines or achieving their goals - - but what if there’s a habit you have that is keeping THEM STUCK and YOU FRUSTRATED?

In smaller, founder-led businesses, it's quite common for founders to begin as the sole employee and later scale up by chance rather than through a deliberate strategy. The founder usually becomes the gatekeeper for all things technical, procedural, and client-facing. This is a sure path to founder burnout, team frustration, and dissatisfied clients. You might be guilty of gatekeeping and not even realize it! Let’s explore!

What Exactly Is Gatekeeping?

Gatekeeping happens when a leader unintentionally slows progress by keeping too much decision-making power, knowledge, or control in their own hands. It often comes from a good place—wanting things done right—but it can quietly sabotage growth.

Sound Familiar?

• A client request sits in limbo because your team is waiting for your approval.

• Your inbox is a traffic jam of decisions you think only you can make.

• You jump in to fix problems because no one else takes ownership.

You mean well. However, when you cling too tightly to control, you’re not just overburdening yourself—you’re sending an unintended yet very damaging message to your team: I don’t trust you. This can make your team feel incapable or unsafe in taking ownership. They become conditioned to rely on you for every single decision.

And that’s a problem. The best employees desire autonomy. If they feel sidelined, they’ll either disengage or leave. Meanwhile, clients experience the frustration of delays and bottlenecks, and your business can’t grow beyond your capacity.

Why Does Gatekeeping Happen?

Most founders don’t want to be the bottleneck; they want freedom! But bottlenecks happen because of deeper structural and mindset issues:

✔ Lack of documented processes – If the “right way” to do things only exists in your head, your team will always rely on you.
✔ No knowledge transfer systems – Team members waste time reinventing the wheel without a proper way to capture and share critical information.
✔ Unclear decision-making authority – If no one knows who owns what, everything ends up on your plate.
✔ The ‘Doer’ Mindset – If you built your business on your expertise, stepping back can feel like losing your edge. Many founders—especially in project-based businesses—feel guilty when they’re not doing client work, as if leadership isn’t “real” work. You might even enjoy keeping your hands dirty because it makes you feel valuable.

I used to think that if I weren’t personally delivering client work, I’d get rusty and lose touch, making me an inadequate advisor. But once I let go of all the things, I found the time, energy and mental bandwidth to:
✅ Become a better leader, coaching my team to problem-solve instead of relying on me.
✅ Be a stronger, more strategic advisor to my clients.
✅ Scale my business without feeling like I was being pulled in a hundred directions.

The Unexpected Benefits of Letting Go:

1️⃣ Better Client Experience & Outcomes – Decisions move faster, service improves, and your business operates at a higher level when processes don’t revolve around you.
2️⃣ Attract & Retain A-Players – The best talent thrives on trust, autonomy, and growth. When you empower them, you create a culture that attracts high performers and keeps them engaged.
3️⃣ More Freedom for You – When your business runs smoothly without your constant involvement in every decision, you can finally focus on strategy, innovation, and the parts of your work that truly inspire you. Even if you enjoy the technical tasks, you may eventually find that the satisfaction from client deliverables wanes, making you yearn for a more fulfilling role.

Reality Check:

👉 What’s one decision, action, task, or role that you are gatekeeping that your team needs you to share and delegate?

Pro Tip:

Begin by identifying where your team needs you the most—then organize, delegate, or step back. True leadership isn’t about being less involved; it’s about focusing on the right things.

Need more inspiration to get out of the weeds? Re-read this post from earlier: It’s Time To Stop Doing ALL The Things - Start Doing The Right Things

Ready for help getting out of the weeds, working less, making more and empowering your team? Here’s how I can help:
I’m offering a Spring Your Business Forward coaching package this month to help you get out of the weeds and scale with clarity.

This includes:

✔️ Clifton StrengthsFinder Top 5 evaluation

✔️ A 90-minute private coaching session

✔️ A customized plan to unlock your genius zone and get your time back

There are only 10 spots available at this rate. If you’re ready to stop wasting time and start scaling the right way, let’s talk.

🔗 Unlock My Genius Zone

Scaling Isn’t About Working Harder—It’s About Working Smarter

• The right people.

• In the right roles.

• Doing the right work.

• With the right systems.

When you get those pieces in place, scaling becomes inevitable.

If you’re ready to build a business that serves your life (not the other way around), here are ways to work with me:

💡 1:1 CFO Advisory for 7+ Figure Founders – Starts at $5,000/month

💡 1:1 Team & Organizational Coaching – Starts at $10,000/quarter

💡 7+ Figure Founder Freedom Group Coaching – $997/year

💡 1:1 Profit-Wise Assessment + 2-hour Advisory Session – $997

Let’s talk: 🔗 Schedule a Free 30-Minute Discovery Call

Scaling is a choice. The question is—will you keep working in the weeds, or will you finally step into the role of a true leader?