I didn’t learn leadership from a textbook. I learned it the hard way—by being the person who carried everything.
Early in my career, I led teams in banking and later as a controller. I had people reporting to me, but no real training on how to lead—so I did what most of us do. I managed tasks, checked work, fixed mistakes, and stayed involved because it felt like that was the only way to get consistent results.
It didn’t work. I was working 50–70 hours a week and still felt like I couldn’t trust the outcome unless I was right in the middle of it.
Years later, when my own business grew, I ran into the same wall again. I had to make a decision: pull back and stay small… or figure out how to build a team without becoming a micromanager.
That’s when I got serious about learning leadership—starting with Stephen Covey and then studying what actually drives ownership, accountability, and follow-through. I stopped trying to get people to “do more tasks” and started getting clear about results.
When I made that shift with my first employee, everything changed. Meetings went from 90 minutes to 15. She took real ownership. I stopped being the bottleneck. Within two years, I went from 50–60 hours a week to about 30—and my income doubled.
For 25+ years, I’ve helped contractors do the same thing with their teams.
When roles are unclear, you manage people.
When roles are clear, people manage results.
That’s what Build Your Dream Team helps you put in place—so you can stop micromanaging, get consistent results, and get your life back.