A CEO I work with said something recently that really stuck with me. She looked at me and said, “I feel like I can’t catch my breath.”
From the outside, her business was doing well. Revenue was growing. New customers were coming in. The company had a strong reputation. But behind the scenes, every day felt like a sprint.
She started answering emails before breakfast. Meetings filled her calendar. Employees needed decisions. Customers wanted her attention. One problem would get solved, only to be replaced by two more. At the end of the day, she was exhausted. Yet when I asked her what she had done that day to grow the business, she paused. “Honestly,” she said, “nothing.” If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone.
Success can create a new problem
Ironically, feeling overwhelmed is often a sign that your business is growing.
In the early days, founders wore every hat. You’re the salesperson, customer service representative, operations manager, and chief problem solver. That’s part of building a business. But what helps you build a company isn’t necessarily what helps you scale one.
As the business grows, many leaders continue saying yes to everything. They become the person everyone depends on for decisions, approvals, and problem-solving. Without realizing it, they become the bottleneck. I’ve seen this happen countless times. Leaders tell me they want to grow the business, but they’re spending almost every waking hour working in the business instead of on it.
There’s a big difference. Working in the business means solving today’s problems. Working on the business means building tomorrow’s opportunities. If every day is consumed by today’s emergencies, tomorrow never gets built.
Why we stay stuck
Most leaders already know they should delegate more. So why don’t they? I usually hear one of these responses:
- “It’s faster if I just do it myself.”
- “No one can do it as well as I can.”
- “I’ll delegate once things slow down.”
The problem is, things rarely slow down. The more successful your business becomes, the more opportunities, decisions, and challenges come your way. Waiting for the perfect time to step back is like waiting for the ocean to stop making waves before you go swimming.
So how do you reset?
The first step is surprisingly simple. Stop trying to solve everything yourself.
Ask yourself:
- What absolutely requires my attention?
Then ask an even more important question:
- What am I doing that someone else could do just as well—or even better?
Many leaders are carrying responsibilities they should have delegated years ago. The second step is to get everything out of your head. When you’re overwhelmed, every issue feels equally important. Write them down. Then sort them into three categories:
- I need to handle this.
- Someone else can own this.
- This doesn’t need my attention right now.
That exercise alone often creates tremendous clarity.
You don’t have to figure it out alone
One of the things I enjoy most about coaching CEOs is watching what happens during our conversations. A leader comes into a meeting feeling completely overwhelmed. Everything feels urgent. Every problem feels equally important. Thirty minutes later, after we’ve talked it through, the picture changes. Suddenly they realize there are really only one or two decisions that require their attention.
Everything else is noise. Sometimes leaders don’t need more information. They need perspective. Someone who isn’t emotionally attached to the situation can often see what the leader can’t because the leader is standing too close to it.
Make thinking part of your job
One of the biggest shifts leaders need to make is recognizing that thinking is not a luxury. It’s part of the job. Block two hours on your calendar every week. No meetings. No email. No phone. Use that time to think about your business.
- Where is it going?
- What challenges are coming?
- Who needs to be developed?
- What opportunities are you missing because you’re too busy putting out today’s fires?
That isn’t unproductive. It’s leadership.
Three things to remember
- Feeling overwhelmed doesn’t mean you’re failing. It often means your business has outgrown the way you’re leading it.
- Your job isn’t to solve every problem. Your job is to build people and systems that solve problems without you.
- Growth requires perspective. You can’t see the whole picture when you’re standing in the middle of it.
A final thought
One of the biggest transitions every successful leader has to make is moving from being the person who does everything to becoming the person who helps everyone else succeed.
That’s not losing control. It’s creating capacity. Because the goal isn’t to become busier. The goal is to become more intentional. And sometimes the fastest way to catch your breath isn’t to work harder. It’s to step back long enough to ask yourself whether you’re spending your time on the things that only you, as the leader, can do.
Onward and upward,
Karen Caplan
Executive Coaching and Consulting for business CEOs, Owners and Presidents
