Scaling your business isn’t about piling more onto your already full plate. It’s about stepping into your role as a leader; bringing in the right people and empowering them to take ownership.
But making that shift? Easier said than done.
Why Is It So Hard to Move from Doing to Leading?
Ever feel like you’re the glue holding everything together? You’re making every decision, overseeing every detail, and keeping the wheels turning. But instead of feeling in control, you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and stuck. It’s like if you take your hands off the wheel for even a second, everything might fall apart.
Here’s the good news: this is a normal phase. Every service business owner reaches this point, the moment when working harder is no longer the answer. But (and this is a big but!) you can’t stay here. If you don’t make the transition from doer to leader, your business growth will stall.
The challenge? Being a great business owner doesn’t automatically make you a great leader. The skills that got you here aren’t the same ones that will take you forward.
That’s why I want to share two game-changing books that helped me navigate this transition:
📖 Who Not How by Dan Sullivan
📖 Radical Candor by Kim Scott
These books will help you:
✅ Find the right people so you’re not doing everything yourself.
✅ Lead with confidence, clarity, and care (without micromanaging or feeling guilty!).
The Shift: Going From Business Owner to Business Leader
Ready to stop being the bottleneck in your business? Here’s where to start:
✅ Step 1: Identify What to Delegate
Download my System Creation Toolkit (which includes a Delegation Checklist and Time Audit Resource). It’ll help you figure out which tasks you should be handing off.
Once you have done this, it’s time to get the books out to help you transition from doing to leading.
✅ Step 2: Shift from How to Who
Instead of asking, How do I do this?, start asking, Who is the best person to take this on?
✅ Step 3: Lead with Clarity and Care
Set clear expectations, give honest feedback, and build a thriving team.
Lessons from Who Not How
If you find yourself involved in every little detail of your business, you’re not alone. It’s natural to start this way, but at some point, this approach limits growth.
When I read Who Not How, it provided a powerful mindset shift on how to transition from doer to leader, because it completely changed my perspective on delegation. Instead of figuring out how to do everything myself, I started asking who could take things off my plate.
When I embraced this shift:
✅ I stopped trying to be the expert at everything and hired people who were already great at specific tasks.
✅ I realised delegation isn’t just about offloading work. It’s about empowering my team to take ownership.
✅ I saw that sometimes, the right people were already in my business; I just needed to trust them and hand over responsibility.
Once I did this, my business ran more smoothly, I had more breathing space, and I could focus on growth.
But here’s the catch: delegation alone isn’t enough. You also need to lead well. That’s where Radical Candor comes in.
Lessons from Radical Candor
Hiring great people is just step one. But moving from doing to leading means you also need to set expectations, provide feedback, and communicate openly. Without these, things can still go sideways.
This is where many business owners struggle. They either:
❌ Avoid tough conversations to keep the peace, or
❌ Go too far in the other direction, becoming overly critical without building trust.
Neither approach works. Kim Scott’s Radical Candor shows that great leadership is about balancing care with challenge:
✅ Care Personally: Show your team you value them as people.
✅ Challenge Directly: Give honest, constructive feedback to help them grow.
So, in your journey of moving from doing to leading as a business owner, ask yourself:
💡 Have I clearly explained what success looks like in each role?
💡 Am I avoiding a conversation that could help my team improve?
💡 Do I make feedback (not just negative feedback) a normal part of our culture?
When you apply the lessons from Who Not How (finding the right people) and Radical Candor (leading with clarity and care), everything changes. Your business becomes more efficient, your team feels empowered, and you finally stop being the bottleneck.
Ready to Make the Shift?
You don’t have to do this alone! Download my System Creation Toolkit to kickstart your transition from doer to leader.
And if this is resonating with you, let’s chat! DM me on Instagram @sandrajulian.co and tell me how you’re navigating this shift in your business. 🚀
