Many functional leaders don’t realize it, but the very skills that earned them a promotion are often the ones holding them back.

They got where they are by being exceptional doers, reliable fixers, and quick decision-makers. But once they’re no longer managing individual contributors, and are instead leaders of leaders, those same instincts can become liabilities.

Execution still matters. But now, it has to scale. And to scale execution, leaders must stop doing and start orchestrating.

The Trap of Staying Too Close

Most mid-level leaders operate in a high-pressure squeeze. Their inboxes are full of escalations. Their calendars are packed with fire drills. And their instinct, sharpened over years of getting results, is to step in, fix, decide, move.

But when a leader constantly steps in, they do more than slow down execution. They send a message: I don’t trust you to handle this.

Scaling execution isn’t about doing more. It’s about clarifying priorities, aligning resources, and building leaders who can operate without you. This is where many functional leaders struggle. They’ve never been taught how to lead through others, only how to deliver results themselves.