One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a leader is this:

You have to let your people make mistakes,
and when they do, they are responsible for fixing them.

If you jump in every time someone messes up or clean up their mess yourself, you create an environment where they know they can make mistakes and you’ll handle the consequences. This doesn’t foster growth or accountability.

Of course, there are exceptions. When someone is about to make a decision that could compromise security or cost the company millions, that’s when you should step in. Protection sometimes trumps the learning opportunity.

But for most situations, resist the urge to rescue. The best leaders know when to step back and let their team members navigate through their own challenges.

The growth happens in the struggle, let them fix it.