Raise the Ceiling is a model for sustainable growth—for leaders who are ready to level up without burning out. Most of us operate at or near full capacity, taking on more responsibility, bigger challenges, and new opportunities without releasing what is already on our plate. The result? Overwhelm.

In this model, we’re visualizing capacity as a cube: the ceiling represents our stretch zone—the work we don’t yet know how to do well. The floor represents the tasks we can do with our eyes closed. The middle is our comfort zone: what we’re known for, what we do well.

To truly raise the ceiling, we must simultaneously raise the floor. Growth doesn’t come from piling more on. It comes from releasing what no longer serves us. That release might look like delegation, automation, AI integration, or sheer deletion.

Here’s where the model becomes transformational: your floor may be someone else’s ceiling. When leaders let go of what no longer stretches them and intentionally pass it on, they create capacity for others to grow, while stepping into new stretch opportunities themselves.

Raise the Ceiling isn’t just about individual elevation. It’s how entire teams level up together.