Leadership Isn’t Carrying The Weight Alone

Leadership isn’t about carrying the weight alone; it’s about designing and scaling systems where everyone thrives.

We all know this, yet common sense is not always common practice.

In my own growth, I’ve found that the higher I climbed, the easier it was to confuse heroism with impact. And dare I say it? Many leaders never make it past the Hero Phase — not because they can’t, but because there’s too much reward for staying there.

When we let go of reward and control, and lean into a different possibility, a more sustainable leadership maturity curve begins to unfold:

🦸‍♂️Hero Phase: “I’ll do it all.”
Ego-led, control-based
Short-term impact
Burnout - easy to get stuck here if we don’t tap into awareness

🧠Awareness Phase: “This isn’t sustainable.”
Acknowledge reality and the need for change
Self-reflection begins
Move from over-functioning to openness

💡Wisdom Phase: “Let me seek guidance.”
Humility opens growth
Feedback becomes a gift. Insight often comes through others, even outside our hierarchy.
Scalability and delegation begin

⚡Empowerment Phase: “I build programs, systems, and empower others.”
Purpose over pride
Sustainability required structure
Trust starts to expand

🌟Legacy Phase: “The work continues through others.”
Interdependence replaces control
Trust creates capacity, multiplies, and expands
Leadership becomes vision, purpose, and alignment

Growth allows us to move from hero to legacy - where impact multiplies through others.

Where are you on this curve today?
If you’re feeling the tension between impact and burnout,
If you're quietly thinking, “I thought a leadership position would mean something more” - you’re being called to evolve, not thug it out.