Helping Your Team Step Up

Helping Your Team Step Up

From The Leader's Kitbag by Ben Morton

February 25, 2026 · 7 min

About this episode

Ben Morton discusses how leaders can unintentionally hinder their team's growth and the importance of stepping back to allow development.

Over the past 13 years of coaching and training leaders, one of the phrases I hear time and again is this: “I just need my people to step up.” And yet, here’s the uncomfortable truth I’ve had to learn myself. It’s very hard for people to step up if their boss has their foot on their chest. Not intentionally. Not maliciously. But through subtle, well-meaning behaviours that quietly hold people back. In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I share a personal story from my time working in the Leadership Academy at Tesco, where I unintentionally stopped a talented graduate from developing simply because I thought I was “helping”. This episode is a practical reflection on how we sometimes suppress the very growth we’re asking for. In this episode, you will learn: Why leaders rarely hold people back deliberately but often do so while trying to help How giving quick answers can slowly reduce your team’s ability to think for themselves The hidden cost of redoing someone’s work and the impact on their motivation Why stepping back without disengaging is critical for long-term development Ben’s Key Takeaway If I truly believe that my job as a leader is to support, develop and look after the…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Morton

Topics covered

  • leadership
  • team development
  • coaching
  • management
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • leadership
  • team growth
  • coaching
  • management
  • personal development
  • motivation
  • support

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Tesco

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