In today’s edition, I want to challenge a belief that gets repeated far too often in business.
That great leaders delegate everything and stay well away from the front line.
I don’t agree — and I’ll tell you why. Let’s dig in.

Hello Reader,

The other morning, I opened my diary and, like most days, it was packed. Call after call. Meetings stacked back-to-back. Decisions to make. Problems to fix.

And it reminded me of a harsh truth about being a CEO.

There is never enough time.

Once you’ve built a business, hired a team, and put structure in place, the work changes. You’re no longer doing the core tasks that built the business in the first place. You’re delegating. You’re reviewing. You’re overseeing.

And at almost every event I speak at, or conversation I have with other business leaders, the same advice gets shared:

“Good leaders delegate.”

That’s true — to a point.

But here’s the problem.

Too many leaders hide behind delegation and slowly drift away from the very things that drive growth.

• They stop listening to customers.
• They stop selling.
• They stop testing their thinking against reality.

And that’s where businesses stall.

Getting back on the front line

We’re now into the second month of the year, and like many businesses, we have ambitious targets to hit.

And I know this much for certain: We will not hit them if I sit behind a desk and rely solely on my team.

Yes, I have great people.
Yes, they can make calls.
Yes, they can execute.

But leadership is not about watching from the sidelines.

So I made a conscious decision to get back on the front line.

I carved time out of an already full diary to focus on three things:

1. Creating value-driven content that speaks directly to the problems our prospects are facing
2. Recording personalised prospecting videos — not marketing fluff, but one-to-one messages
3. Making outbound calls to start real conversations and create curiosity

Not because my team can’t do it.

But because I should be doing it too.

And here’s something interesting - when the team see me doing it, they raise their game as well.

Why the best leaders still do the hard work

Delegation works.
But the very best leaders never fully step away from the action.

Being on the front line keeps you sharp.
It keeps you honest.
And it keeps you connected to the market.

You hear what customers are really worried about.
You spot patterns early.
You solve problems before they become crises.

Instead of reacting late and hoping for the best, and (as I’ve said many times before) hope is not a strategy.

Leading from the front builds credibility.
It builds trust.
And it earns respect.

Your customers see that you care.
Your team see that you don’t just talk, you do.

And that creates momentum.

So this year, I’m deliberately getting back on the front line to make sure we hit our targets.

And if you’re leading a team, I’d challenge you to do the same.

Until next Saturday — remember, it’s Eat or Be Eaten.

James

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