I have a confession to make.

I have a tendency towards perfectionism. I set impossibly high standards for myself and often feel like I’m not doing enough.

Faced with the choice between perfect and good enough, I can procrastinate over the details and struggle to shift into action.

If this sounds familiar, you’ll know that perfectionism is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’re seen as the “go-to” person, known for setting high standards. But on the flip side, everyone wants a piece of you.

You’re constantly pulled in all directions, your schedule is packed, and you never have time to focus on what really matters.

You find yourself firefighting instead of leading strategically, with a nagging feeling that no matter how much you do, it’s never enough.

You might be asking yourself:

• Why do I always feel behind, despite working hard?
• Am I truly effective, and am I doing enough for my team and organisation?
• Where does all my time go, and why am I so drained?

If these thoughts resonate, you’re not alone. It’s easy to get caught up in the complexity of regulations, compliance demands, and operational tasks. But the complexity we experience in leadership is often self-imposed.

We think we need to do everything ourselves, to be on top of every detail. In doing so, we become bottlenecks, stifling not only our own potential but that of our teams.

But leadership doesn’t have to be so hard. There is a way to achieve more by doing less, and it starts with reimagining what leadership means to you.

What if leadership could be a seamless blend of your subject-matter expertise and effective leadership, creating a powerful ripple effect throughout your organisation?

Leadership in risk and compliance is about two things: your subject-matter expertise and your ability to influence others.

Too often, leaders lean heavily on their expertise — becoming the “go-to” for every question and decision. But expertise without influence creates an imbalance.

You may be knowledgeable, but are you truly leading?

I experienced this firsthand during a large transformation project. I was overwhelmed by the details, from procedures to process diagrams and implementation plans. I was losing my senior stakeholders in the details and struggling to get my team on the same page.

I had become an information bottleneck.

Seamless leadership is about creating synergy between your expertise and influence. When these are integrated, something powerful happens.

You stop firefighting and micromanaging. Instead, you guide your team and use your expertise to shape strategic decisions.

Imagine leading a team where everyone feels empowered to act with confidence, while you focus on steering the ship rather than paddling furiously.

The result is a ripple effect—your team becomes more engaged, capable, and productive. This frees you up to focus on higher-level tasks, while also building trust and fostering innovation.

For me, the shift came when I stopped holding everything in my head. I shared my vision and trusted my team to figure out the messy, multi-layered steps to get there.

By stepping back, I became more strategic.

The most powerful leaders create a ripple effect, positively influencing their teams long after they’ve left the room.

They empower others to make decisions, foster ownership, and build a culture of accountability.

In risk management, this approach is particularly powerful because it allows teams to be more proactive, reducing bottlenecks that slow down progress.

So how do you create this ripple effect in your leadership?