As an owner, manager or supervisor do you find yourself consistently providing answers to questions and solutions to problems for your team or being the go-to fixer for your team?

 

This is a very normal leadership instinct after all, right? After all, that’s the job… or is it?

 

What if it’s the wrong approach?

 

What if the outcome is the exact opposite of what you’re trying to achieve?

 

Countless studies show this “rescuer syndrome” is actually dysfunctional and tends to stifle growth, creates dependency, and leaves you and your team burnt out.

 

The upside is it makes you look good and sets you up as being indispensable, but perhaps you really just enjoy “rescuing”.  After all, who doesn’t enjoy the “smartest person in the room” feeling?

 

Here’s how you can break the cycle

 

Consider a recent client of mine, Patrick (not his real name), a senior manager overwhelmed by a seemingly endless stream of tactical decisions.

 

He was brilliant but felt swamped by requests and stuck in a cycle of reactivity.

 

We didn’t give him a new framework or a step-by-step plan.

 

Instead, starting with a GPI Leadership Assessment followed by a Leadership Coaching program, we helped him heighten his awareness and explore how he might be contributing to the situation.

 

Patrick’s “AHA” moment was a fundamental realisation: he was trying to solve everyone’s problems because he believed it was his duty to have all the answers.

 

The powerful shift came when he discovered that his true value was not in solving every issue, but in empowering his team to solve their own.

 

He learned to guide his team to solutions.

 

He integrated strategic coaching into his day-to-day management. His approach shifted from rescuing to helping his team to learn.

 

He now builds capability proactively.

 

It’s how you build a better business.

 

Curious if you might be stuck in the rescuer role too?

 

Make an appointment to book a chat – click it to explore how you can shift from problem-solver to growth catalyst.