David McLeod: The Wake-Up Call That Nearly Didn’t Happen

What does it take to keep growing without becoming the bottleneck? For David McLeod, it meant changing how he led and learning to trust his team with more ownership.

In this episode of Growing with Purpose, Jean Moncrieff speaks with David McLeod, co-founder and CEO of Backbone, about building a business through different stages of growth and recognizing when the way you lead needs to change.

David reflects on the pressure of carrying too much himself, the moment he realized he had become a bottleneck, and the changes that helped him step back from day-to-day decisions. He shares how clear priorities and accountability have helped his leadership team take greater ownership.

Jean and David discuss making time to think about the future, delegating with clarity and trust, and building a business that can grow without depending on one person to hold everything together.

Key themes include:

Recognizing when a founder has become a bottleneck

Adapting the business as it grows

Finding focus in a changing market

Making time for strategic thinking

Building clarity and accountability across a team

Delegating while staying available to support

Trusting people to take ownership