Every Friday, I'm answering one real question from a real leader. No theory. No fluff. Just the stuff you're actually dealing with.

If you've got a question you'd like me to tackle, just hit reply. I read every one.

Tyler, I appreciate the honesty. And I can relate more than you think.

I love leading teams. I also love getting my hands dirty in the work.

That’s one of the reasons I love being a LinkedIn creator.

For a long time I thought leading vs. doing were in conflict. Like I had to pick a lane.

Then I heard Alex Hormozi talk about something that reframed the whole question for me.

Are you a maker or a manager?

The concept comes from Paul Graham's original essay, but Hormozi put it in terms that clicked for me.

Makers are the builders. They create things. They need long, uninterrupted blocks of time to do their best work. An empty calendar energizes them.

Managers are the coordinators. They direct, decide, and communicate. Their calendars are packed with short meetings. A full schedule means a productive day.

Most entrepreneurs and leaders are some combination of both.

But Hormozi's point is that you need to know which one gives you more energy. Because that tells you how to structure your days.

He identifies as a maker. He runs a portfolio worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And he still blocks entire days on his calendar for deep, creative work.

Writing. Recording. Building.

He has manager responsibilities. He gets them done. But he doesn't let them consume every hour of every day.

He surrounds himself with great managers so he can delegate the coordination and protect his maker time.

That hit me.

We don't have to choose one identity and abandon the other.

Tyler, I don't think this is as binary as "stay in leadership" or "go back to IC."

There's a third option most people don't consider.

1. Protect your maker time.

Block 2-3 hours on your calendar every day for the work you actually love doing. Label it something people won't book over. Treat it like you would an important meeting.

You became a leader partly because you were great at the work. Don't let the title erase the thing that made you great.

2. Redefine what "leadership" means for you.

Leadership doesn't have to look like wall-to-wall meetings and alignment calls. Some of the best leaders I've worked with were player-coaches. They led the team AND stayed close to the craft.

If your current role doesn't allow for that, it might be the role that's wrong. Not you.

3. Know that going IC isn't career suicide.

More companies are building senior IC tracks than ever before. Staff engineer. Principal architect. Distinguished fellow. Senior strategist.

These roles carry real influence without the people management.

And I'll say this. AI is changing everything.

Individual contributors who learn to use AI well are going to be able to produce at a level that used to require a whole team. The leverage available to a skilled IC is only going up.

4. But also ask yourself this.

Do you miss the work? Or do you miss the feeling of being great at something?

Because those are 2 different problems.

If you miss the work, carve out time for it. You can lead and build at the same time.

If you miss the feeling of mastery, that might mean you need to grow into a new edge of leadership.

The discomfort of managing doesn't always mean it's wrong. Sometimes it means you haven't hit your stride yet.

6 years is still early. You might surprise yourself.

Keep leading forward,
Justin

P.S. Something is coming. I've been quietly building it for a year and a half. More very soon.