Are you ready to stop serving fish… and hand over the rod?

May 20

Reading Time: Approx 2 minutes

Inspired by the original Forbes piece by Dr. Bryan Robinson and insights from Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs

Are you unknowingly a Snow Plough Manager? Burning out while handing out metaphorical fish all day?

It often starts with the best of intentions. Clearing the path so your team can move faster, with less risk. But the unintended results are usually dependency, disappointing growth and your burnout.

Right now, the pressure on leaders is sky-high. RTO demands, economic instability, talk of a looming recession, it’s a perfect storm

According to Gallup, 36% of managers feel burnt out, and 24% are considering quitting in the next six months.

The main reason? They’re trying to carry everything. For everyone.

❄️ What Is a Snow Plough Manager?

Maybe you recognise these behaviours:

• Herculean effort to remove obstacles for your team.

• Taking on the tough stuff to ‘save time’.

• Micromanaging under the guise of being ‘supportive’.

• Underlying anxiety, feeling that something’s about to go wrong.

All often driven by a well-meaning need to help.

Snow Plough Managers don’t foster growth, they actually stifle. They keep their people in their comfort zones when real fulfilment lies in the stretch.

It’s the corporate version of: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for life.”

If this is feeling a bit fishy… here’s the hook:

Despite their best efforts, Snow Plough Managers don’t build high-performing teams. They build dependent ones. They hover, fix, and seek validation.

The equivalent of Helicopter Parents in the office.

Signs of a Snow Plough Manager

• Rarely delegates significant projects

• Dominates meetings, eclipsing ideas

• Needs constant updates and reassurance

• Says things like “I’ll handle it” or “It’s faster if I do it”

• Their #1 phrase? “I don’t have time to delegate.”

And most tellingly, despite endless hours and effort… the team stagnates.

How to Change as a Snow Plough Manager

1. Affirm your team’s talents. Out loud. Often.

2. Delegate meaningfully. Not just admin but outcomes that matter.

3. Take a step back, consciously. Let them stumble and grow.

4. Detach your identity from their success. You are valuable without being the fixer.

5. Clean your own side of the street. Let them manage theirs.

Leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s knowing when to do less and trusting more.

And if you work for a Snow Plough Manager?

• Start small

• Build trust

• Ask for stretch tasks

• Offer to shadow

• Deliver excellence

If you still haven't overcome the hurdle, maybe it’s time to explore other options that allow your potential to flourish.

We don’t need more martyr managers. We need wise leaders, who coach, trust and let go.