---
title: "The Surfacing Test: Free Leadership Guide | Velocity"
description: A short framework for leaders who keep getting pulled into work that should belong to someone else. A free leadership guide from Velocity Advisory Group.
image: https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/hubfs/Podcast%20Episodes/Podcast%20Assets%20%28Social%29/Guides/Velocity_AG_The_Surfacing_Test_Social.png
---

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Free guide · Activating Greatness

# Stop solving problems that aren't yours.

A short framework for leaders who keep getting pulled into work that should belong to someone else.

- A three-question self-check for the moment you're about to jump in
- A short case for paraphrasing, the most underrated leadership skill
- Three actions for this week and a quick-reference page you can pin up

## Get the free guide

The Surfacing Test · 8 pages · PDF

Trusted by **800+ organizations** across **25+ industries** since 2009

Rarely trueAlmost always true

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Stop solving problems that aren't yours.

The Surfacing Test

WHOSE PROBLEM IS THIS?

GROUP A

**1**

**2**

**3**

GROUP B

**4**

**5**

**6**

GROUP C

**7**

## What's inside

### The core job of leadership

Why problem solvers struggle in the leadership chair and what it means to surface the genius of other people.

### Paraphrasing

The habit of repeating back what you heard, and why curiosity beats certainty about what people can do.

### Whose problem is this, really?

Three questions to ask before you take over a problem that isn't at your level.

### This week

Three actions to catch yourself mid-solve, paraphrase first, and hand a problem back, plus a quick-reference page.

[Get the guide](https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/leadership-library/surfacing-test#get-it)

## Results and feedback from Velocity's leadership work

**30% to 8%**employee turnover in one yearBiopharmaceutical company

**+126%**strategic alignment liftBiopharmaceutical company

**95%**retention rate in a construction leadership programVelocity client

> “Now associates understand themselves better, and leaders have new tools to support their teams.”

Chief People and Culture Officer, healthcare products distributor

> “Velocity challenged our team and brought us together in ways that have paid immediate dividends.”

Managing Partner, accounting and advisory firm

## Why leaders stay stuck solving

The skill that got leaders promoted is often the one that holds their people back.

### The Problem-Solver Reflex

Leaders arrive in the chair after a career of solving problems, and that habit is hard to shut off.

### Faster Isn't Better

Solving it yourself because you're quicker stifles the growth of the people you're trying to unleash.

### Unchecked Listening

Most miscommunication isn't a talking problem. It's a listening problem that nobody checked.

## From solver to coach

A core function of leadership is to surface the genius of other people, and that takes practice.

1

### PAUSE

Before jumping in, ask whether the problem is truly at your level and what the other person thinks the answer is.

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### PARAPHRASE

Repeat back what you heard before responding, so communication is confirmed, not assumed.

3

### HAND BACK

Return problems that aren't yours, with support. Velocity's coaching helps leadership teams build the coaching muscle that lets people grow into bigger problems.

**In Dan Silvert's words:** "A core function of leadership is to surface the genius of other people." His best leadership advice ever received was two words: "Shut up."

### Who this is for

- Newly promoted leaders who still do the work
- Executives who feel like the bottleneck
- Managers who want to coach instead of rescue
- Leadership teams building a delegation habit

## Stop being the bottleneck

Download the guide, then talk with us about building the coaching habits that help your people grow.

[Get the guide](https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/leadership-library/surfacing-test#get-it)

**800+**organizations led through change

**25+**industries

**2009**building momentum since

© 2026 Velocity Advisory Group.velocityadvisorygroup.com

[Get the guide](https://coaching.velocityadvisorygroup.com/leadership-library/surfacing-test#get-it)