If your leadership days feel like one long game of Hungry Hippo, here’s your sign: you’re not the only one.

I see this all the time with high-capacity women who’ve built incredible businesses or led high-performing teams. You’ve hit big milestones, you’ve got people around you… and somehow, you’re back in the weeds. Reacting. Approving. Juggling. Running on caffeine and sheer willpower.

That’s not failure.

That’s survival mode leadership - and it’ll keep you busy forever, but never strategic.

Let’s get clear on how to spot it - and more importantly, how to get the hell out of it.

1. You’re the First and Last Stop for Every Decision

If every 'quick question' lands in your inbox, you’re not leading a team - you’re running an approval queue.

The shift: Build decision-making frameworks so your team can act within clear boundaries.

Give your team the “what” and the “why”, and let them own the “how.” That’s how you stop being the bottleneck without losing quality.

2. Your Calendar Is All Urgent, No Important

Strategy time? You’ll get to it… eventually. Except 'eventually' never comes because you’re too busy firefighting.

The shift: Block non-negotiable strategy time every week and guard it like your biggest client meeting. If you cancel on yourself, you’re cancelling on the future of your business.

3. You’re the Emotional Buffer

Team tension? Miscommunication? Client meltdowns? You’re the one smoothing it over. Again.

The shift: Stop playing peacekeeper and start building team capability. Use courageous conversation frameworks so your team can address challenges without you running interference.

4. Handing Over Tasks Still Feels Risky

You want to hand things over, but it feels quicker to just do it yourself. That way, you know it’s done right.

The shift: Delegate outcomes, not tasks. Make the goal crystal clear, then give your team the space (and accountability) to deliver it their way. That’s how you build trust and capability at the same time.

5. You’re Running on Grit, Not Systems

If you step back and everything stalls, your results are running on you, not your systems.

The shift: Put scalable leadership systems in place so things keep moving whether you’re in the room or not. This is how you create growth that doesn’t chew through your energy.

Survival mode will get you through a crisis - but it’s not a growth strategy.

Shifting to strategic leadership is about clarity, systems, and a culture that runs without you holding it together.

This is exactly why I help my clients create Freedom with their leadership framework - so they can move from overloaded and reactive to clear, confident, and supported.