Jason Osborn on Leadership: Building Capable Teams vs. Fostering Dependency

In a recent LinkedIn post, Jason Osborn explores a critical distinction in leadership: the difference between building a team and inadvertently creating a team that relies too heavily on its leader. Osborn argues that while many leaders aim to help their teams succeed, their actions can sometimes lead to a counterproductive dependency, driven by ego rather than true leadership.

Osborn highlights how well-intentioned actions can lay the groundwork for dependency:

“Jumping in when someone struggles. Solving problems before they have a chance to. Making decisions because it’s faster than explaining.”

He explains that these actions, though seemingly helpful in the short term, can erode a team’s problem-solving capabilities over time. “But over time something quietly shifts,” Osborn writes. “The team stops trying to figure things out. They wait. They check in. They route everything upward.” This learned behavior, he posits, is often mistaken by the leader for loyalty, masking a deeper issue.

The Ego Trap in Leadership

Osborn contends that this dependency can stem from a leader’s ego, making them feel essential and important. However, he reframes this perceived success as a potential failure of leadership. “But a team that can’t function without you isn’t a testament to your leadership. It’s evidence that your ego got in the way of it,” he states. This perspective challenges leaders to examine their motives and the long-term impact of their interventions.

Cultivating Capability Over Dependence

The core of Osborn’s message is that true leadership involves making oneself less necessary over time by empowering team members. This requires a conscious effort to trust individuals with responsibilities before they feel fully prepared and to allow them space to navigate challenges independently.

Embracing Discomfort for Growth

Osborn acknowledges that this approach can be uncomfortable, particularly for leaders who have built their careers on being the go-to expert. “Letting them struggle through problems you could solve in minutes. Watching them do it differently than you would and leaving it alone. That’s hard,” he admits. He suggests that the desire to be the smartest person in the room or to be constantly needed can be a significant hurdle.

The Goal: A Room Full of Leaders

Ultimately, Osborn’s post emphasizes that the true measure of leadership is not the leader’s individual brilliance but their ability to foster leadership within their team. “The goal was never to be the best leader in the room. It was to make the room full of better leaders,” he asserts. This shift, though challenging, is presented as the path to building a lasting legacy.

Osborn concludes by posing a direct question to leaders: “Which are you building?” He encourages reflection on whether one is cultivating genuine capability and independence within a team or fostering a dependency that hinders long-term growth and resilience.