Last Updated on April 24, 2025
It starts with respect. You’re the person people turn to when things break. The one who debugs in minutes, mentors with ease, and seems to always have the right answer.
At first, it feels like validation. You’re indispensable. Respected. Valued.
But over time, that pedestal becomes a cage.
You’re stuck solving the same problems. You’re brought into every fire. You’re overloaded and unable to think beyond the next fix. And worst of all, your growth plateaus—because no one sees you as anything but “the best dev.”
I’ve lived this cycle. And here’s what I learned: being the smartest dev in the room isn’t the win. Becoming the leader who builds others up is.
The Trap Defined
When you’re the high performer, teams often default to you:
- To review every PR
- To fix urgent issues
- To act as the bridge between tech and product
- To fill gaps no one else sees
But that constant reliance can backfire. You become essential to every detail—and in doing so, you remove your ability to step back, delegate, or think strategically.
This doesn’t just stall your growth. It can bottleneck the entire team.
Why It Happens
- You’re good at what you do
- You’re faster than others
- You care too much to let things fall apart
So you stay in the loop. You take on more. You say yes when you should be stepping back. And it works—until it doesn’t.
What to Do Instead
1. Shift From Doing to Designing
Instead of jumping in to fix everything, create systems that prevent problems from recurring.
Ask: “What would make this issue solvable without me next time?”
2. Create Mentorship Moments
If others can’t step up, build them up. Pair program. Share your mental models. Turn answers into documentation.
The more you scale your thinking, the less people need you to scale yourself.
3. Build a Culture of Ownership
Don’t be the hero. Be the one who helps others feel confident owning problems.
Instead of: “I’ll take care of it.” Try: “Let’s walk through it together so you can handle it next time.”
4. Set Boundaries and Guardrails
Start carving out time for higher-level thinking:
- Block strategy hours on your calendar
- Say no to work that keeps you in the weeds
- Protect space to focus on systems, not symptoms
5. Reposition Yourself Internally
Speak from your leadership voice.
When offering ideas, focus on impact:
“Here’s a pattern I’m seeing that could improve delivery across the team.”
“What if we restructured this workflow to reduce friction long-term?”
This shifts how others see you—from builder to builder-of-builders.
What Leadership Really Looks Like
In my Special Forces career, success wasn’t about being the one who could do the most. It was about building a team that could perform without depending on one person.
That’s leadership. And it’s just as true in engineering.
When you stop trying to be the smartest dev and start focusing on enabling others, everything changes:
- You gain time
- Your team grows in confidence
- You open doors to more strategic work
Bottom Line
Being the smartest developer in the room might be flattering, but it can quietly hold you back.
Make the shift:
- From solo expert to scalable leader
- From doer to designer
- From go-to fixer to long-term builder
And if you’re navigating this shift yourself, I’d love to connect. These are the conversations I live for.
