What if Leadership didn’t require you to carry everything?

Jan 19, 2026

Many leaders carry more than they realize.

Not because they want control.
Not because they don’t trust their people.
Not because they think they’re the only capable one.

They carry things because somewhere along the way, leadership became synonymous with responsibility - and responsibility quietly turned into ownership of everything.

If something goes wrong, it lands on you.
If someone struggles, you feel it’s yours to absorb.
If clarity is missing, you fill the gap.

Over time, this creates a very specific kind of exhaustion.
Not loud burnout - the quieter kind that turns into resentment.

Here’s the reframe that changes everything:

➡️Leadership doesn’t require you to carry everything.
It requires you to dance with others - to share weight, timing, and direction.

When leadership becomes one-way, even well-intentioned leaders end up doing leadership at people instead of with them.

And that’s when:
ㆍpartnership erodes
ㆍpeople wait instead of stepping up
ㆍand leaders feel oddly alone in a room full of others

This isn’t a failure.
It’s a pattern.

And patterns can change.

💜 Stacey

Just notice. What 3 words describe how leadership feels to you today? What do you want it to feel like?

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