You Don’t Need to Be the Expert

Early in my career, I thought being a leader meant being the expert.

I thought I had to know the most.

Have the best ideas.

Spot the issues before anyone else.

And if I didn’t, I felt like I was failing.

Or worse—exposed… vulnerable... insecure

Hi, I’m James and you’re listening to the Leadership in 5 podcast—where leadership meets execution, one focused episode at a time.

But here’s what I’ve learned the hard way… through the great teacher, Experience.

Leadership isn’t about being the expert. It’s about creating clarity and understanding.

Now let’s pause for a second—

Because if you’re a founder or executive who built something from nothing,

this pressure to be the expert doesn’t come from ego.

It comes from survival.

I see you. You’ve sacrificed more than most people will ever know.

Late nights. Weekends. Time away from your kids.

You’ve made payroll from your personal account.

You’ve skipped your own paycheck just to keep the business alive.

So of course you want to protect it.

Of course you want to make sure things don’t fall apart.

The pressure is real—and I honor that.

But here’s the danger:

That survival instinct can quietly become a leadership default.

You start thinking, I need to make the decision.

I need to have the answer.

I can’t afford to be wrong.

And when that happens, you start to believe something that isn’t true:

That your value is tied to your expertise.

But don’t miss this: Your team doesn’t need your genius.

They need your discernment. They want to know which direction to go.

They need you to guide—not dominate—the conversation.

To ask better questions.

To create space where the real expertise can rise.

I’ve seen it happen—

Founders accidentally stall their company’s growth

because they become the bottleneck.

Everything flows through them.

Every idea has to be theirs.

Every move has to get their stamp of approval.

And before long, the team stops bringing ideas forward.

Not because they don’t care—

But because they’ve learned there’s no point.

So let’s flip the script.

Authority doesn’t mean being the smartest person in the room.

It means bringing out the best of the people in the room.

It means listening when you could speak.

Clarifying when you could control.

Elevating others when you could take the win yourself.

Here’s the question I come back to often:

Is this a moment where I need to lead… or listen?

That one distinction can change everything—

for your team, your growth, and your culture.

Because if your authority is built on being the expert,

you’ll burn out.

And worse—you’ll burn others out, too.

But if your authority is earned through trust, clarity, and presence—

you’re building something that can scale.

And that’s worth thinking about.