From rescuer to leader: how an Operations Director got her weekends back

Jane had been with her company for 12 years, rising from production line operator to Operations Director. She was recognised as a subject expert and as a kind leader.

Two years into the director role, the operation was struggling. Standard operating procedures existed, yet sub-standard products were increasing, and so was their cost. Profit margin was eroding, on-time delivery to clients was slipping, and the production schedule was filling with rework and backlogs.

Jane's frustration was turning into self-doubt. Nothing seemed to be going well.

Jane's CEO, David, recommended coaching. He had worked with Summit himself, benefiting from leadership coaching underpinned by emotional intelligence when he moved from Finance Director to CEO.

David set out how the business would measure its return on investment. Jane would:

1. Combine her undoubted technical expertise with key leadership competencies.

2. Focus more on delivering for the business, rather than keeping people onside.

3. Draw a clear line between personal and professional relationships.

4. Bring the operation back to meeting or exceeding its KPIs and client SLAs.

5. Enjoy her weekends, rather than working through them to get ahead of next week's problems.

Jane's two greatest strengths, Empathy and Problem Solving, were the very things holding her team back.

Strength one: high Empathy

Jane valued harmony and experienced disagreement as conflict. To keep the peace, she stayed quiet on important matters. What deserved to be said wasn't being said, so responsibilities had become blurred, and it was easy for some people to avoid ownership.

Coaching focus:

• Become proactively assertive with colleagues, most of whom she had once worked alongside.

• Spell out who owns what, what the business expects, and who is responsible for consistent quality.

• Frame requests around what the business requires from you rather than what I need from you, to clarify relationship boundaries.

Strength two: high Problem Solving

Jane's ability to anticipate and fix problems had won her the director role. But her team had stopped doing it for themselves. They were waiting for Jane to save the day.

Combined with her empathy, this meant constant "Have you got a minute?" interruptions that often ran to ten minutes or more, and repeated checks on priorities that were already agreed. It pulled her away from what the business was paying her to do: run an efficient, profitable and cohesive operation.

Coaching focus:

• Stop answering "What would you do, Jane?" with a recommendation.

• Set a clear expectation that people take ownership of anticipating risks and solving problems in their own areas, and make the consequences of not doing so clear.

• Stop going first in leadership team meetings. Invite colleagues' ideas, concerns and recommendations first, so she could guide rather than simply advise.

Jane began telling her team: "If you're going to ask me for advice or guidance, I won't give it until after you've shared your own recommendation with me."

It set a boundary, promoted ownership and built her team's decision-making muscle. It reduced not just the number of interruptions, but also the average time taken to resolve issues.

Once Jane could see how her autopilot leadership style was holding her back, her approach changed:

• She delegated. More tasks, projects and responsibilities went to her direct reports. She oversaw the work rather than doing it.

• Difficult conversations got easier. Clear personal and professional boundaries created space for them to happen.

• She spoke up. Understanding that her empathy was a double-edged sword helped her communicate assertively in situations she used to avoid.

• Her team debated better. She encouraged healthy disagreement, so the team made more prudent decisions for the business.

• She got her weekends back. Weekends became relaxing again, without worrying about the week ahead.

• She kept growing. Jane is now focused on developing her emotional intelligence further, to help her team achieve more and enjoy the journey too.

The strengths that get people promoted can quietly hold their teams back. Summit's EQ-i 2.0 coaching helps leaders see their blind spots and turn them into practical changes their teams notice quickly.

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Names and identifying details have been changed to protect confidentiality.