When I stepped into the President role, I thought I understood what the responsibility would require.
I had spent years inside the business, starting as a retail and marketing specialist and growing through multiple leadership roles to SVP. I knew how the business worked. I knew the people. I knew how to carry responsibility.
What I hadn’t fully grasped was how much I would need to change.
The version of me that had been successful getting there was still very present.
I was still stepping into conversations I had always owned. Still solving things quickly when decisions needed to be made. Still carrying responsibilities that had been mine for years.
But over time, I began to see something more clearly.
My role was no longer to be the person carrying everything forward. My role was to ensure the business had the leadership strength, clarity, and direction to move forward without depending on me in the same way.
That meant identifying the next leaders. Allowing others to step into conversations and decisions I had carried for years. Creating space to see the business clearly and guide it forward.
That became the job.
Recently, a business owner said something to me that captured this moment perfectly.
“I’m not sure I’m the CEO my company needs to grow into its next evolution.”
Their business was strong. Growing. Full of opportunity.
What they were sensing was real.
Many leaders and companies reach this point. They continue operating in the same way that built the business. They stay close to everything. They carry decisions others are ready to own. They remain deeply involved in areas that once required them.
These behaviors built the foundation. They created trust. They created momentum.
And over time, they begin to limit what the business can become.
This shift rarely happens suddenly. Leaders are working hard. They care deeply. They are doing what has always worked.
But the role has changed.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about the invisible leaks that quietly drain leaders. This is where many of those leaks begin. Leaders continue carrying responsibilities that belonged to an earlier version of their role. They stay close to decisions others are capable of making. They carry weight that no longer belongs at their level.
If you want to begin shifting this, start with one honest question:
What does a person in my role actually do now?
Not based on what you have always done. Based on what the role requires today.
Write down three lists.
What only I can carry.
These are the decisions, perspective, and leadership responsibilities that require your experience and judgment. This is the work that shapes direction and strengthens the business over time.
What I am still carrying that someone else is ready to grow into.
These are responsibilities you have owned for years. You know them well. They represent growth for someone else and space for you to lead at the level your role now requires.
What no longer belongs to me.
These are areas where your continued involvement limits your ability to focus where your leadership is most needed. Seeing this clearly often shifts how leaders view their role.
Before making changes, sit with one more question:
Who does my company need me to become now?
How does that person spend their time? What do they protect? What do they develop in others? What do they allow themselves to step away from so the business can continue to grow?
Leaders who step into this shift expand their capacity in meaningful ways. Their teams grow stronger. Their decisions become clearer. The business gains momentum that no longer depends on them carrying everything.
Moments like this often mark the point where leaders begin stepping fully into the role their business needs next.
If this brought something into focus for you, it may be time to look at your role more intentionally.
The Gut as a Leadership Barometer
Most leaders are trained to read metrics, meetings, and momentum, but did you know one of the most important tools for you is to learn how to read your body?
The gut is often the earliest system to signal when something is off. Before burnout shows up as missed workouts or emotional exhaustion, it often appears as bloating, indigestions, low appetite, or unpredictable energy. These aren't random symptoms. They're information.
Your gut is constantly responding to how safe or rushed your nervous system feels.
When you're operating in a state or urgency, your body prioritizes survival over digestion. Blood flow shifts away from the gut. Enzymes decrease. Absorption becomes inefficient. You may still be eating "well", but your system isn't in a state to fully receive nourishment.
This is why so many capable, high-performing leaders feel foggy, reactive, or depleted despite doing all the "right" things.
Gut symptoms are not a failture of discipline.
They're a barometer of load.
They often point to:
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Too much decision-making without recovery
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Meals eaten quickly, distracted, or under pressure
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Long stretches of output without adequate input
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A nervous system that rarely gets to stand down
Leadership asks for clarity, steadiness, and presence. Digestion requires the same conditions.
When the gut feels unsettled, it's worth asking a different kind of question:
"What should I eliminate?"
"What am I asking my body to tolerate?"
Small shifts matter more than dramatic overhauls:
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Sitting down to eat, even for a few minutes
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Taking a breath before the first bite
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Creating predictable meal rhythms during demanding seasons
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Allowing the body to experience pauses, not just productivity
These are not wellness luxuries. They are infrastructure.
A regulated gut supports stable energy.
Stable energy supports better decisions.
Better decisions support sustainable leadership.
Your body is giving you feedback long before things break.
The invitiation is simply to listen.
Executive Operating Partnership
I currently have space for two leaders in my
Executive Operating Advisory.
This is a 1:1 partnership centered on helping you step fully into the next level of leadership your business requires.
Our work focuses on authority reset, delegation and multiplication, strengthening your leadership bench, and establishing operating rhythms that allow the business to grow without depending on you to carry everything.
We clarify what belongs at your level now, what needs to be developed in others, and how to build the leadership structure that supports your next stage of growth.
If you are in this kind of transition and want a strategic partner in that work, I invite you to schedule a conversation.
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