#522 The Sally Problem: Why We Break Our Best Problem Solvers | Barbara Wittmann interviewed by Niels Brabandt

Why do organisations repeatedly promote their best problem solvers and then unintentionally set them up to fail?

In this leadership interview, Barbara Wittmann joins Niels Brabandt to discuss the Sally Problem, why organisations frequently promote exceptional workhorses into leadership without providing the skills, mandate, or shared mental model needed to succeed.

From leadership transitions and organisational complexity to responsibility without mandate, delegation, silo thinking, and leadership development, this conversation offers essential insights for decision-makers building stronger leadership pipelines.

Topics include:

• What the Sally Problem actually means 
• Why organisations accidentally break top performers 
• Responsibility without mandate explained 
• Why promotions often create leadership overload 
• Shared mental models and cross-functional collaboration 
• How to avoid silo thinking in organisations 
• Leadership development for newly promoted managers 
• Organisational complexity and delegation

This episode is essential listening for CEOs, founders, senior leaders, HR professionals, middle managers, operational leaders, and decision-makers focused on sustainable leadership development.

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Check out this episode!