Steve Lowisz explains the Fixer Reflex, where leaders automatically solve problems their teams could handle, creating over-reliance and killing momentum. He offers a three-step fix: name the outcome, ask "What's your plan?" and pause for silence, then stay beside the team instead of over it. Start with one moment and practice a five-second pause.
If you're a leader who keeps telling yourself, "I'm not going to jump in this time," and then you do anyway, you're not the only one. That pattern has a name: the Fixer Reflex. Most leaders become fixers because stepping in used to be the only way things stayed afloat. So your brain starts to equate that control with safety. But when the business stabilizes and your team grows, that same habit can quietly stall your team's growth. Coaching leadership feels risky because it's slower than fixing. Fixing is fast and clean, while coaching feels messier and uncertain. But the point isn't to stop caring, it's to stop carrying. Over time, fixing creates this invisible deal with your team. You step in to help, they step back to feel safe, and eventually everything needs your approval to move forward. Meetings become status updates, momentum disappears, and the only person who's accountable is you. So what do you do instead? Start with a simple swap. First, name the outcome of a project or initiative, and not just the task. Use this sentence: "Winning looks like X by Y." That gives clarity without controlling the how. Second, ask an ownership question like, What's your plan? And then do the hard part. Pause. That silence will probably feel uncomfortable, but it's where the ownership starts. Third, stay beside, not over. Agree on a checkpoint so they own the work, and you're there to spot them, not lift the weight for them. If you want to break the fixer reflex, start small. Identify your step-in moment. Prewrite your outcome sentence, pick one ownership question, and practice that 5-second pause. You're not a bad leader for learning to lead this way. The Fixer Reflex is just proof you've outgrown the habits that helped you succeed earlier. And learning to coach is how you stop being the bottleneck and start building real ownership with your team.
