Every organisation has its accelerators: the people, processes, and decisions that drive growth and innovation. Just as importantly, every organisation has its handbrakes, the forces that slow progress and often hide in plain sight.
If you want to move faster, the first step is to identify and release those handbrakes before pushing harder on the accelerator.
Quite often, the handbrake isn’t the market, the budget, or even the team. It is the leader. The very person steering the business or organisation forward can, without realising it, be holding things back.
How Leaders Unknowingly Slow Progress
Common behaviours that act as leadership handbrakes include:
- Perfectionism
Waiting until every detail is flawless before acting. - Over-control
Micromanaging or keeping decisions that others could handle. - Excessive caution
Avoiding risk even when action is needed. - Bottlenecking decisions
Being the single point of approval for initiatives. - Negativity or low energy
Signaling, intentionally or not, that progress is not a priority.
The Cost of Holding Back
The effects of a leader unknowingly slowing things down might start small, with delayed projects, long meetings, or minor frustration. Over time, those effects become much more noticeable:
- Lost opportunities
Competitors or more agile teams move faster. - Reduced engagement
Talented team members become frustrated or disengaged. - Cultural stagnation
Risk-averse behaviours and fear of failure become norms. - Decision fatigue
Team members wait for approval or confirmation, losing momentum.
Even a single leader can unintentionally slow an organisation, not because of lack of skill, but because of the behaviours they model.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Have I communicated a clear vision and goals to my team?
- Do I make decisions quickly enough or put them off, waiting for more data, opinions, or certainty?
- Do I hold on to tasks that others could manage?
- Do my words or actions discourage initiative or experimentation?
- Are my team members empowered to act without waiting for my approval?
These are not signs of failure. They are a roadmap for awareness.
Once you recognise where you may be slowing things down, the next step is intentional change.
- Cultivate Self-Awareness
Understanding your patterns, triggers, and behaviours is crucial. Leaders who reflect and seek honest feedback release unnecessary friction. - Increase Clarity Not Control
Replace tight control with clear expectations, well-defined decision rights, and visible goals. Teams perform best when they know boundaries and can operate autonomously. - Empower Your Team
Delegation builds capability and accelerates progress. Trusting your team to take ownership increases engagement and impact. - Model Forward-Motion Behaviour
Culture mirrors leadership. Leaders who act with curiosity, decisiveness, and resilience inspire the same in their teams. Hesitation and frustration will ripple if left unchecked. - Audit Organisational Friction
Sometimes the handbrake is not you. It can be outdated systems, unclear processes, or conflicting priorities. Regularly evaluate friction points and streamline.
Every organisation will face moments when caution is wise. But when hesitation becomes a habit, advancement suffers. Leaders who recognise friction points and release them create conditions for success.
Next Steps
Ready to release the handbrake? Here are steps you can take to get started:
- Ask your team for honest feedback on where progress slows
- Map decision-making bottlenecks and identify your influence points
- Empower team members with autonomy while maintaining clear expectations
- Streamline outdated processes and align priorities
- Commit to regular self-reflection and leadership growth
Taking even one of these steps can start turning friction into forward momentum. To explore how Rapport Leadership can help your business or organisation accelerate, reach out today.
