Latest / She's That Founder: Stop Being The Bottleneck and Lead Smarter with AI / 077 | Why Your Team Keeps Waiting (and What to Do About It as a CEO) | AI Series Day 12 | 12 Days of AI | Leadership, Delegation & Systems with AI Frameworks
Transcript
- 0:02Dawn Andrews: Hey, friends, I need to tell you about a moment that happens in meeting rooms and zooms across the world.
- 0:05Dawn Andrews: Every single day, a founder sits at the head of the table or in their little, tiny zoom box, and someone on their team says five words that makes their stomach drop.
- 0:13Dawn Andrews: I'm waiting to hear back, and in that split second, I can see it in a founder's eyes this flash of disappointment before they nod and move on to the next agenda item, because they know deep down that this isn't what building a company was supposed to feel like. So if you've ever felt that pang of frustration when your team treats I sent an email like crossing a finish line, this episode is for you, because what I'm about to share isn't just about productivity, it's about the invisible culture you've accidentally built that's bleeding your company's momentum dry, and the uncomfortable truth not really about your team. It's about you. Welcome to she's that founder the show for ambitious women ready to lead with clarity and scale with confidence. I'm Dawn Andrews, business strategist and executive coach.
- 1:04Dawn Andrews: Today we're talking about the silent cost of I'll wait, and why the ball should never leave your court, even when you're running a team of 50 and beyond.
- 1:11Dawn Andrews: Hey, founder, Dawn Andrews, here I am coming to you from a hotel room where I have booked a solo founder corporate retreat for myself, and this is one of the recording times that I've booked out to be able to talk to you just a little bit.
- 1:28Dawn Andrews: This is a letter to you today. I have a particular founder in mind, but I think you might find yourself in what I'm sharing. So here you go, my dear founder, I saw something in your eyes the last time someone on your team said, I'm waiting to hear back, that fleeting shadow of disappointment before you nodded and moved on. This is you working with your team, expecting them to come through for you, and them pausing because they're saying, I'm waiting to hear back. So you didn't say it at the time, but I know what you were thinking.
- 2:03Dawn Andrews: This isn't what building this company was supposed to feel like. So let's talk, just you and me, my founder friend, about what's really happening when your team adopts that wait and see approach to execution.
- 2:19Dawn Andrews: Remember when you started your company, you didn't wait for permission. Girl, I know you didn't. You didn't wait for perfect conditions. You sure as hell didn't wait for someone to email you back before taking the next step. You were unstoppable, or your business would not exist like it does today. That relentless forward motion is now built into your DNA, it's why you succeed and why others stall out.
- 2:44Dawn Andrews: But something happens as we build teams, we accidentally normalize a different set of standards than the ones we hold for ourselves. We accept. I sent the email as a milestone, rather than recognizing it as merely the opening of a conversation, and I want to tell you something now that might be hard to hear, this isn't really about your team. It's about you, your company has developed a culture that sees responsibility as transferable, where accountability can be handed off with a click of the send button.
- 3:20Dawn Andrews: And cultures don't form by accident. They're shaped by the leaders who consistently reward and tolerate those behaviors. So the truth Your silence when someone says I'm waiting to hear back is interpreted as acceptance. Whew, yeah, how about that? So what if tomorrow, you had a vulnerable conversation with your team about this? What if you shared how you never actually feel like the ball leaves your court until results are achieved? What if you modeled what taking radical ownership looks like in practice.
- 4:01Dawn Andrews: In reality, this isn't about cracking a whip or demanding superhuman effort.
- 4:09Dawn Andrews: It's about reframing how your team sees their fundamental relationship with results. When someone says they're waiting for a response, try asking, What do you think is happening on their end right now, this simple question shifts perspective from passive waiting to active empathy and helping your team members to understand why delays happen and how to navigate around them, because that's what we're going for.
- 4:30Dawn Andrews: And then if you follow up with that question with if you were in their shoes, what would make you respond quickly? This builds strategic thinking for your team members, rather than reactive, waiting just two simple questions that can totally shift how your team is responding and moving forward with your initiatives. The magic happens when your team starts to see themselves, not as message senders, but as outcome creators, the getterdunners, when they realize that every silence. Every delay, every roadblock, is actually information they can use to plot a new path forward. That's pretty cool, right?
- 5:05Dawn Andrews: So this transformation starts with you being honest about the standards you've always held yourself to, but perhaps haven't explicitly transferred to your team. Your company deserves the same relentless momentum that fueled your earliest days. What would your company look like 12 months from now? If everybody was playing that game, your team is capable of it. They just need you to expectantly hold that space until it becomes their natural operating system. The ball has never left your court as a founder, maybe it's time your entire organization operated with that same conviction.
- 5:42Dawn Andrews: So what do you think you ready to have that conversation tomorrow? So that was some real, real talk. Yes, you know that that's what Thursdays are about. Here at she's that founder. So here's what I want you to do right now.
- 5:57Dawn Andrews: Before this episode ends and you get distracted by your next meeting. Think about your last team meeting. Or one on one check in, how many times did someone say, I'm waiting to hear back? Or some version of that, once, twice, five times.
- 6:08Dawn Andrews: Now, imagine if every single one of those people had a concrete plan for what happens next, regardless of if they get a response that they're already starting to think 123, steps ahead. How would that change your execution speed in your business? Look, I know this isn't easy. Shifting culture never is, but I've seen what happens when founders finally make this shift, and it is transformative.
- 6:35Dawn Andrews: So if you're ready to stop accepting I sent the email as progress and start building a team that operates with the same relentless momentum. I want to help. I'm offering a free 30 minute culture audit call where we'll identify exactly where the waiting game is showing up in your organization and create a specific plan to eliminate it.
- 7:02Dawn Andrews: No pitch, no upsell, just you me and a clear path to faster execution. Go to dawn andrews.com forward slash audit to grab your spot. There are only five slots available this month, and they go fast, and this will not be available forever and ever. This is like for those of you that are hot on top of downloading the new episodes as they come, because this offer will close within one month.
- 7:24Dawn Andrews: Here's the thing, your company deserves the same unstoppable energy that got you started and your team is capable of it. They just need you to show them how. So stop waiting for permission, stop waiting for perfect conditions. Stop waiting for someone to email you back.
- 7:42Dawn Andrews: The ball is in your court. It always has been. So now go use it, sending you big hugs and love. Have the very best day, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
- 7:52Dawn Andrews: If today's episode gave you clarity, courage or just a deep exhale, hit that follow button, leave a review or send this to a founder friend who needs to hear it. Come join us inside AI for founders, a private community on LinkedIn.
- 8:08Dawn Andrews: You don't need more bandwidth.
- 8:12Dawn Andrews: You need better systems, and you can totally create them with ease, on the fly in motion while you are scaling your business.