Umbrella or funnel?
The difference between shielding your team and filtering their growth.
Umbrella or funnel? Many leaders perceive themselves as the umbrella, while their teams often have a very different perspective.
What this graphic doesn't convey is that funnel leaders often ascend to their roles because of their excellence as individual contributors. They are given authority without being trained in the true essence of leadership—which is not about doing more, but about absorbing more so your team can do their best work.
Shielding your team from chaos is not a soft skill; it is a strategic leadership practice. Every last-minute change, shifting priority, and unnecessary meeting you intercept instead of passing down is a direct investment in productivity, morale, and trust. Umbrella leaders do not shield their teams from accountability; they protect them from distractions, enabling them to perform at their highest level.
The funnel approach is not always rooted in ego. Sometimes, it simply reflects a lack of exposure to a different way of leading.
This is the leadership conversation we need to have more often: We frequently measure what leaders deliver, but rarely ask whether they are expanding their team's capacity or quietly depleting it.
Reflect honestly: What challenges is your team facing today that could have been prevented?
