How do I know if I’m a bottleneck in my company?

1. Pay Attention to Where Work Slows

Ask your team directly: “Are you waiting on me?”
If the answer is yes, that’s your red flag. Not only are you slowing things down, but over time it chips away at trust and ownership.

2. Reflect—Are You Weighing Down Decisions?

If every approval has to come across your desk, or you’re still stuck in the weeds with non-strategic tasks, growth will stall. You can’t scale a business if you’re holding on to every detail.

3. Shift from Doing to Empowering

Leadership isn’t about stepping away—it’s about stepping up. Delegate decisions, assign clear roles, and let your team truly own their work. Your job becomes guiding and supporting, not micromanaging.

4. Build Processes That Free You to Lead

Create simple systems:

• Document key decisions.

• Train your team on how to handle them.

• Set clear accountability.

When processes run smoothly, the “bus stop” isn’t your desk anymore.

Final Thought

Being a bottleneck doesn’t mean you’re a bad leader—it just means your business has grown beyond your old habits. Awareness is your starting point. From there, talk with your team, identify where you can empower them, and build structures that let you lead instead of block.

Your company can only move as fast as its slowest decision. Don’t let that be you.