The Leadership Cap

One of the most powerful (and painful) leadership truths I’ve learned comes from a book I read more than 20 years ago: John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership:

“Leadership ability is the lid on your effectiveness.”

Put another way: you’re the cap.
If you’re hitting a ceiling on your business, your team, your church, your results, that ceiling might be you.

That’s not a guilt trip. It’s a call-up.

The lid is real. And here’s an interesting part: you might actually be the most talented person in the room and still be the reason things aren’t growing. How do you know?

• Are you the bottleneck for decisions?
• Do people constantly wait for your approval?
• Are you stuck in the weeds, while big opportunities pass by?

You don’t fix that by working longer hours or trying harder. You fix it by removing the lid.
And sometimes, that lid is you.

Let’s get specific about what this looks like…

For the Entrepreneur:

You're doing it all and it's killing growth.

You started scrappy doing sales, operations, marketing, and payroll. But now, the company can’t grow because you still touch everything.

• You haven’t hired leaders, just helpers.
• You spend your time IN the business, not ON it.
• The team’s waiting on your sign-off for every little decision.

Remove the lid: Hire someone smarter than you in key areas.

Give them real authority. Get out of the weeds and build systems that scale. Remember: What got you here won’t get you to 10x. Your hands-on approach is now hands-tied growth.

For the Church Leader:

Your voice is powerful but it's drowning out others.

You’ve built something meaningful. The vision is clear, the teaching is strong, the people are loyal. But growth has stalled.

Why?

Because every new idea has to go through you. You love your people but you don’t trust anyone to lead them like you do.

• Ministries can't move forward without your input.
• Young leaders leave because they have no room to lead.
• The staff is loyal, but passive. They’re waiting on you instead of leading with you.

Remove the lid: Release others to lead with real freedom.

Preach less. Coach more. Multiply vision-carriers, not just volunteers. Remember: If your name is on everything, your church will always be small enough for you to carry and never big enough for God to stretch.

For the Corporate Leader:

You’re managing metrics instead of multiplying leaders.

You’ve hit your KPIs. You’ve got tenure, trust, and a track record. But your team? They're stagnant. Or worse, they’re disengaged.

• You’re solving problems you should be delegating.
• No one’s been promoted in a year because you’re still the only one “ready.”
• You’re the go-to, but also the go-thru. Nothing moves without you.

Remove the lid: Develop leaders, not just employees.

Stop being the hero, and start building a bench. Create a culture where ownership is both expected and equipped. Remember: High-performance teams aren’t built by control, they’re built by trust and transfer.

So... what should you do if you are the lid?

1. Acknowledge It: Stop blaming the team. Stop blaming the season. Look in the mirror.
2. Invest in Your Growth: Read. Get a coach. Join a mastermind. Surround yourself with people who raise your ceiling and challenge your comfort zone.
3. Empower Others: Hand off real ownership. Delegate outcomes, not just tasks. Let people lead even if they don’t do it exactly like you would.

You’re not stuck. You’re just capped.

Good leaders protect control. Great leaders release it.
If you want more growth, more momentum, more impact, it starts by asking the hard question:

Am I the lid?

And if the answer is yes, then it’s time to lift the lid.

‍