From school to the C-suite, we’re taught that value comes from having the right answer and producing individual results. We reward those who solve problems, not those who build systems that prevent them. Over time, leaders internalize a dangerous belief that their worth lies in what they do alone, not in what they enable. That identity becomes especially brittle in messy, unpredictable environments where past success patterns don’t apply. The very strengths of pattern recognition, decisive action, and personal ownership that helped leaders rise can become liabilities as complexity increases. The real shift is from hero to architect: clarifying intent, codifying principles, and building decision systems others can use without you.