Stepping back moves the work

Audrey Boyle · Field note · November 9, 2026

Part of the brief: Walk it back

What I expected

When a leader steps back from day-to-day work, that work shrinks or gets done some other way.

What I saw

In a small company, it moved. It landed on the person already carrying the most, because she was the line of least resistance. No one assigned it. The work found her.

What to do Monday

Before you step back, name where each piece of your work will land, and ask what it displaces.

What’s still open

At what size does stepping back stop landing on one person and start spreading across a team?