If I had to summarize how most organizations become harder to lead, it would be in five words: It made sense at the time. Almost nothing that creates unnecessary drag inside an organization starts out as a bad idea. A customer needs an exception, so the team creates one. A leader steps in because it’s…
As organizations grow, there comes a point where progress starts requiring noticeably more effort than it used to. Revenue may still be increasing, customers are still being served, and the business continues moving forward, but something feels different. Growth has become heavier. It rarely happens because of one major problem. Often it’s the result of small…
When something inside an organization isn’t working, the first instinct is usually to look at the process. A workflow gets redesigned. Another approval is added. Someone documents a new procedure or introduces new software. The assumption is that if the process improves, the results will improve with it. Sometimes that’s true. However, the process isn’t always…