Common leadership challenges and how to fix them
Are you feeling frustrated, stressed, or working all hours to get the job done, even though you have a team of people around you who should be helping? Is having a team more of a hindrance than a help, and does the responsibility of leadership lie heavy on your shoulders? Mastering the art of leadership may not come naturally, but it can be learnt. In this post, we consider three common leadership challenges and advice on how to fix them.
I’ve told them a million times!
There aren’t enough hours in the day.
I’m stressed and under pressure to deliver business growth.
I can never rely on my team.
I have to do everything around here!
If you ever hear yourself or a colleague uttering these words, maybe it’s time to stop and think. Why do you feel so frustrated with your team? Why aren’t they hearing what you say? And why is it that you can’t rely on them to deliver the basics?
When you stop and take time to understand where the frustration and pressure you feel is coming from, you might begin to see things a little differently. And perhaps most importantly, see where you can make changes to improve team and business performance.
Challenge 1: I am so frustrated with my team. I have told them several times how to do this task, and they still don’t get it.
How to fix it.
This is a clear case of a team not receiving the information they need to do their job well. In our experience, showing by doing achieves better results than describing or telling someone how to perform a task. Understanding the basics of great leadership will help you to delegate tasks and responsibilities effectively, and empower your team to get things right first time. This means you can expend less of your own resources hovering and correcting, and apply your focus to more strategic thinking.
Challenge 2: There are never enough hours in my day to get everything done.
You might think this is due to a lack of prioritisation, poor time management, or increasing workload, when in reality, it’s usually that you are focusing your time and energy on the wrong things.
How to fix it.
Keep a diary of the tasks and activities you do on a daily basis and how long each one takes you. For each activity, ask yourself, could someone else do it? Is there someone else who is better equipped to do it, or could you train someone in your team to do it?
So many leaders we meet find it difficult to delegate responsibilities that, with proper training, could easily be done by a member of their team. Part of your role as a leader is to develop others. If you don’t recognise colleague potential, harness their skills, and nurture their growth and development, someone else will offer them the opportunity. The most exceptional leaders build multi-skilled teams capable of doing each other’s jobs, meaning holidays and absences are easily covered.
Challenge 3: I am under pressure from senior management to deliver business growth.
When you lack the skills to lead a team, strategic priorities end up taking a back seat, mainly because you’re spending all your time doing (challenge 2), and/or managing (challenge 1). This creates a build up of pressure, stress, and lack of space to focus on the big goals and targets you’re responsible for delivering. You might think ‘if only I didn’t have a team to manage, I could focus on achieving my targets’. The reality is, you probably couldn’t achieve your targets without your team’s support and delivery.
How to fix it.
Instant results aren’t realistic. Accepting this is the first step to feeling less stressed.
Business growth is important, and personal growth is too. First, you need to develop your leadership skills and learn the tools that will help you lead your team more effectively. Once your team is happy, motivated, inspired, and know how to do their job well, they will absolutely deliver the goals you set them. Business growth doesn’t come from working harder, it comes from working smarter - and people development is a very smart move!
It all starts with YOU
Feeling challenged or stuck isn’t a sign that you’re a bad leader. You’ve simply not had the opportunity to develop into the role. Prioritising your own development will also help your team to flourish and thrive. And yes, that might include organising learning and development for colleagues you know have the potential and ambition to replace you in the future!
Find inspiration to move beyond your leadership challenges
If you recognise yourself or someone you know in any of these leadership challenges, it’s time to join our Exceptional Leadership Makes Sense online facilitated development programme. Designed for leaders who are brilliant at what they do, but sometimes feel stuck, or people who feel the weight of leadership to be heavier than it should be, our programme gives you small pockets of time to focus on principle-based leadership skills to help you reach your goals. So, if you struggle with managing conflict, performance or giving feedback, there is a pathway to help with all those conversations.
Three pathways, small changes, and potential for huge results. The growth possibilities are limitless - for you, your business, organisation and team.Find details of all three pathways and online registration here. We start with Pathway 1 on 24th September 2026. Will you be joining us? Do you have a friend or colleague who would find this useful?