If You’re Running Every Meeting, You’re Failing Your Team
Length: • 3 mins
Annotated by Miguel
Let’s just say it straight.
If you’re the one leading every single meeting, you’re either inexperienced, insecure, or haven’t been shown how to be a real manager yet.
If that stings a little, that’s okay. Maybe it should.
There are a few exceptions. Sure, incidents. Maybe a gnarly stakeholder review or a performance conversation. But even in those high-stakes moments, there’s usually room to coach. Let someone else run the show. As long as someone is clear on decision-making, you don’t need to be the one running the room every time.
That’s not what good leadership looks like. Good leadership is about building people who can do the job without you.
Why You Keep Grabbing the Mic
Most managers hog the meetings for one of a few reasons:
- It’s faster if I do it
- They’re not ready yet
- What if they mess it up?
- I’ll be blamed if it goes wrong
- I’m the one accountable
If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. I’ve heard them all before. I’ve said a few of them too, early in my career.
But you need to realise what those excuses are actually saying to your team:
You’re not ready.
I don’t trust you.
I don’t care enough to help you grow.
Not great.
What It Looks Like to Coach Instead
This isn’t about disappearing. It’s not about sitting out. It’s not delegating and walking away.
It’s about showing up differently.
Coaching in real time.
Supporting from the side, not from the front.
Let them lead the standup. Let them chair the retro. Let them run the stakeholder sync.
Then debrief.
What worked?
What would you do differently next time?
What was hard?
That’s coaching. That’s how they get better.
That’s how you build a team that can do hard things without you steering every move.
The Real Reason You’re Still Leading Everything
Sometimes, it’s not about fear. It’s about ego.
If everything runs through you
If you always need to be in the room
If you secretly like being the person with the answers
That’s ego.
It’s not sustainable. It’s not leadership. It’s how you end up with a team that stays stuck at the same level while you burn out trying to do it all.
Start Small
You don’t have to flip the whole thing overnight.
Start with one meeting a week.
Hand it off to someone. Give them a little prep support. Stay in the room. Debrief after.
See what happens.
This is where your next generation of leaders gets built. Not in private 1:1s. Not in performance reviews. But right here. In meetings. In public. In the mess.
Bonus for Paid Subscribers - Downloadable Worksheet
If you’re a paid subscriber, I’ve put together a Team Meeting Delegation Worksheet to help you get started.
Inside you’ll find:
- A self-audit to see how often you really lead
- A meeting inventory worksheet
- A guide to identify what to delegate and who to delegate to
- Coaching questions to ask before and after
- Real examples and space to plan your next 30 days
👉 [Download it here] (paid subscriber link)
Final Thoughts
You don’t build strong teams by leading everything.
You build strong teams by coaching them to lead.
Let someone else drive. Stay in the room.
Support them.
Back them.
Debrief.
That’s the job.