You don’t have a business growth challenge. You may have a team performance issue
When speaking with business owners, I often hear the same thing: “Things just aren’t moving like they used to.” or “We’re busy, but we’re not getting ahead.” And 9 times out of 10, it’s not the market, the strategy, or the product. It’s what’s happening within the team structure.
Inconsistent results. Missed deadlines. Constant firefighting. A team that looks busy but underperforms.
That’s not a growth phase. That’s scaling barrier. And friction kills momentum.
Before you throw more money at recruitment, invest in tech, or launch your next product — pause. There might be something deeper happening.
Here are 7 leadership, process and performance challenges that could be holding your business back (and what to start doing about them).
1. Busy Managers, Low Productivity
They’re working late. They’re in every meeting. They’re replying to emails faster than you. But somehow, targets are missed.
Because busyness isn’t performance. And many managers don’t know how to move from individual contributor to leadership. The result? Micromanagement, reactivity, and a leadership vacuum.
Ask yourself: Are my managers clear on their role in driving outcomes, not just activity?
2. The Lack of Team Accountability
If you’re still the one pushing every project forward, chasing updates, and putting out fires… you don’t have a leadership team. You have a dependency structure.
When roles and outcomes aren’t defined, everything comes back to you. That means slower decisions, weaker results, and zero scale.
Fix this: Create outcome ownership. Make it visible. And coach people into confidence, not just competence.
3. Employee Disengagement (Warning Signs)
Disengagement rarely starts with a resignation letter.
Your best people might be quiet quitting weeks or months before they walk. No conflict. No outburst. Just a slow drop in motivation and engagement.
And by the time you notice? They’re already gone.
What to watch for: Withdrawn participation, vague commitments, and “It’s fine” responses.
4. Doing vs. Developing
Promoting high performers is great. Until you realise they’re still doing the job — just with a new title.
Leadership isn’t just more responsibility. It’s a mindset shift. And without support, your promoted stars will default to what they know: execution, not development.
Break the pattern: Invest in leadership coaching that focuses on long-term leadership growth.
5. Misaligned Strengths
Great people. Wrong role.
It’s one of the most expensive mistakes businesses make. Someone who thrives in high-energy environments is now buried in a spreadsheet job. A thoughtful introvert is expected to “rally the troops” on Zoom.
The shift: Use behavioural assessments like DISC — paired with a debrief coaching session — to align roles with real strengths and improve team performance. Learn more about how coaching supports these insights here.
6. The HR Gap
No process. Or processes so heavy no one follows them.
Recruitment that takes 3 months. Onboarding that’s just “Hey, shadow Mark for a week.”
If people systems are missing or chaotic, even the best hires will struggle.
Small win: Fix one process at a time. Start with the one that’s causing the most friction.
7. Strategy Lost in Translation
You know where the business is going. But does your leadership team?
If strategy lives in your head (or a pitch deck), your managers can’t turn it into action. That leads to misalignment, wasted effort, and frustration on all sides.
Make it visible: Share priorities clearly. Often. And connect them to team-level outcomes.
You don’t need more people to scale. You need to create the right performance conditions for the people you already have.
That starts with clarity. Then alignment. Then trust. And when you build those, your business can scale effectively.
You don’t have to fix all 7 friction points at once. But if even one of them feels familiar — it’s probably worth exploring what’s underneath it. Want to talk it through? Let’s start there.
