🚩 Tactical Memo 001: Growing as a Leader

Hey, welcome to the first issue of my new branded newsletter.
Same Justin. Sharper insights. One no-fluff email every week. Takes less than 5 minutes to read. Packed with tactics on managing projects, leading people, and using AI to drive performance. Apply them instantly to your work and life.

THE SITUATION

Everyone tells you that to grow as a leader, you need to:

• Take initiative

• Work harder

• Say yes more often

• “Step up and lead”

But here’s the brutal truth:

That’s how you get stuck doing everyone else’s work.

It’s how you get praised, promoted, and overwhelmed.

And eventually? It’s why high-performers burn out or stall.

If you want to grow into a true leadership role, you have to unlearn being the hero and start becoming the architect. Your job is to build the system, not keep saving it.

THE STRATEGY

Here’s a simple, tactical shift you can make this week that 99% of people ignore:

1. Replace “visibility” with “clarity”

Everyone’s chasing visibility. They want to be seen in meetings, copied on emails, looped in on every project. That’s ego, not strategy.

Instead, build clarity.
Start every week by answering 3 questions:

• What must get done this week?

• What is the team waiting on from me?

• What can I remove or simplify?

Then write 3 bullets. Share it with your team. Or your boss. Or both.

📌 This positions you as focused, aligned, and outcome-driven—not needy or noisy.

2. Stop solving problems your team should own

The #1 reason leaders fail to grow?
They’re addicted to fixing.

Next time someone brings a problem to you, try this:

• “What do you think we should do?”

• “What options have you considered?”

• “Where would you start if I wasn’t here?”

📌 Coach, don’t control. That’s how you build trust and future leaders.

3. Track outcomes, not tasks

If your to-do list is 40 items deep, you’re not leading.
You’re managing details that should already be delegated.

Build a 3-line “Leadership Dashboard” in a notebook or Notion page:

Update it weekly. No fluff. No micromanaging.

📌 Leaders scale impact, not checklists.

4. Say no (strategically)

Growth isn’t about doing more. It’s about choosing better.

Here’s the filter:

• Does this task drive a result only I can own?

• If I say yes, what will I need to say no to?

• Am I helping the team, or making myself feel useful?

The moment you stop trying to “earn” your spot by taking on more, you start acting like someone who’s already there.

📌 Saying no is leadership. Saying yes to everything is fear wearing a smile.

THE IMPACT

When you apply these 4 tactics, here’s what changes fast:

• You stop firefighting and start thinking clearly

• Your team steps up, because you give them space to

• You gain respect—not by effort, but by elevation

• You make fewer decisions—but better ones

• You look and sound like the next leader up

TRY THIS TODAY

Don’t just nod. Try this exact sequence:

Today:

• Open a blank doc or page. Write down:

  • The top 3 priorities that only you should own this week

  • One thing you’re doing that someone else could learn

  • One decision you’re avoiding that’s slowing the team

Tomorrow:

• Delegate that one thing

• Share your 3 priorities with your boss or team

• Block 15 minutes to coach someone through a problem without fixing it

📌 Leadership isn’t a title. It’s a set of practiced decisions.

✍️ From the Desk of Justin Bateh, PhD
Real-world tactics. No fluff. Just what works.

If this resonates, Tactical Memo 002 will delve deeper into Performance Systems That Don’t Burn People Out, and how to build one even if your team is drowning. Want it? Just stay subscribed.