- This topic has 6 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 5 months, 2 weeks ago by Jessica Uiras.
You know how you think you can do everything at once, so you take on more than you should and more than you can? That was me. I said yes to everything, over-committed myself, and before long the work became overwhelming. I thought I was proving my ability by carrying it all, but in reality, I was setting myself up to fail.
The result was that I could not deliver at my utmost best. By stretching myself too thin, I had already failed before I even began. At first, it felt like a painful professional mistake. But over time, I realised it was also one of my most important leadership lessons.
It taught me that leadership is not about saying yes to everything or proving that you can do it all. It is about discernment, boundaries, and knowing when to pause so that you can give your best where it truly matters. It is also about trusting others enough to share the load.
Now, when I lead, I am far more intentional about what I commit to, and I remind myself that saying no is sometimes the most responsible leadership choice I can make.
I wonder, for you; have you ever faced a moment where over-committing or trying to “do it all” became a leadership lesson? How did it change the way you now show up at work?
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You know how you think you can do everything at once, so you take on more than you should and more than you can? That was me. I said yes to everything, over-committed myself, and before long the work became overwhelming. I thought I was proving my ability by carrying it all, but in reality, I was setting myself up to fail.
The result was that I could not deliver at my utmost best. By stretching myself too thin, I had already failed before I even began. At first, it felt like a painful professional mistake. But over time, I realised it was also one of my most important leadership lessons.
It taught me that leadership is not about saying yes to everything or proving that you can do it all. It is about discernment, boundaries, and knowing when to pause so that you can give your best where it truly matters. It is also about trusting others enough to share the load.
Now, when I lead, I am far more intentional about what I commit to, and I remind myself that saying no is sometimes the most responsible leadership choice I can make.
I wonder, for you; have you ever faced a moment where over-committing or trying to “do it all” became a leadership lesson? How did it change the way you now show up at work?
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I must be honest, it’s an ongoing struggle. I often grapple with saying no because I want to be as useful as I should be. But I’m learning that saying no doesn’t mean I don’t want to make myself useful. In fact, I become truly useless when I say more yeses than my ability can bear. Over-committing is for sure one of my biggest lessons leading so far. Thank you for sharing Jessica!
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Thank you Jessica for sharing this. I enjoyed reading about your mistake and how you learnt from it. It can be very draining having to do almost everything available.
My experience is the opposite of yours. I faced it tough when I hired workers into positions before careful assessment of their roles not until I realized some of them were not necessary,they were having a lot of free time meaning we just needed a multitasking team. No matter the little work they were doing, they had to be paid, that mistake drained me and it made me a better leader. I have seen many organizations going through it, they tend to have a large number of workers than the available tasks.
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Thankyou for sharing Jessica, I can relate to your post. Trying to do it all even when it seems impossible can always be part of leadership that we need to overcome. Multi-tasking, juggling varying challenges, problem solving and accountability all contribute to the desire to do it all. I learnt like you how important it is to say no, to involve others by being confident to delegate and lead with intention. I am also learning to how important it is to be the leader who you would like to be led by.. someone confident,in control, on top of their game and someone who has your back supporting and involving uou. Not a leader who is driven to do it all, not delegate effectively their team, fall behind on tasks and be unable to deliver what you need. It is important to be true to ourselves and work with our teams to move forward with trust and self- belief.
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I once received 360° feedback that I should learn to delegate more. At the time, I believed that delegating was a sign of not wanting to do the work myself. I also thought it would take me longer to correct others’ work than to do it on my own. As I’ve grown into roles with greater responsibility, I’ve realized that I cannot do everything myself. I need the support of my team to achieve stronger results. Delegating also gives others the opportunity to learn and grow.
Making this shift was not easy for me, but over time I’ve seen the benefits. My team appreciates when I delegate, as it empowers them and builds their skills. Not saying I am now doing it perfectly but it has been an important step for me in becoming a better leader.
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