insights

Some teams overanalyze everything, stuck in endless debates. Others make snap decisions without enough information, and thats costly. If your organization has trouble finding the right balance, you’re dealing with slow, inefficient decision-making. At first, this may seem like a leadership issue—perhaps people aren’t confident in their decisions or don’t have enough information. But in reality, this is a structural problem that stems from how your organization makes decisions. Some teams wait for more data before making even small decisions. Others jump into execution without validating their ideas. Meetings go in circles instead of leading to action. People get frustrated because priorities keep shifting. Employees second-guess their choices instead of moving forward. Teams wait for leadership to sign off on everything. If your organization struggles with indecision, the issue isn’t your people—it’s because they don’t have  a clear decision-making system. By putting the right frameworks, training, and expectations in place, you’ll create a team that makes better decisions, faster. Want to move from slow, inconsistent decisions to confident execution? Join our webinar Wednesday, April 2nd at 1:00pm Pacific.  Click here to register

You’ve aligned on the right solution, and everyone agrees on the path forward. But months later, nothing has changed. Sound familiar? If so, you’re dealing with poor execution and follow-through. Symptoms of Poor Execution Projects start strong but peterout before delivering results. Plans get approved but not executed. Teams lack accountability, so progress stalls. This isn’t a motivation problem. Who owns this? Once a decision is made, it’s unclear who owns execution—so tasks fall through the cracks.  What This Looks Like: Teams assume someone else is responsible. Deadlines slip because there’s no single owner. No execution system A great strategy means nothing without a system to drive follow-through. What This Looks Like: Teams move onto the next priority before the last one is finished. Execution feels unstructured, with no clear milestones. Definition of done Without tracking leading indicators, teams don’t realize they’re off track until it’s too late. What This Looks Like: Problems aren’t caught until the final review. Teams feel disconnected from execution goals. Quick fix Assign Clear Ownership – Define who is responsible for execution from day one. Implement an Execution System – Use structured workflows to keep teams accountable and on track. Track Leading Indicators – Monitor early progress before it’s too late to adjust. Join our webinar Wednesday, April 2nd at 1:00pm Pacific.  Click here to register

The reason is because of a lack of Data-Driven Thinking Symptoms They Experience: Decisions are made based on opinions instead of facts. Teams fail to use available data effectively, leading to poor outcomes. Leaders struggle to measure success because there are no clear benchmarks. Root Causes: Data Exists but Isn’t Actionable – Reports and dashboards are available, but teams don’t know how to extract insights. Lack of a Repeatable Analysis Process – People aren’t trained in structured data-driven decision-making. Decisions Are Driven by Urgency, Not Evidence – Teams default to intuition when under Join our webinar Wednesday, April 2nd at 1:00pm Pacific where we will dive into this and learn solutions.  Click here to register

Have you ever felt like your team is working hard but not actually making progress? Do the same issues keep resurfacing, even though they’ve supposedly been “solved” multiple times? If so, your team isn’t struggling with effort—it’s struggling with problem selection. Instead of tackling the real underlying issues, they’re stuck treating symptoms. This cycle leads to wasted time, poor execution, and frustration at every level. But why does this happen? And more importantly, how can you fix it? Symptoms of Solving the Wrong Problems Teams spend time fixing issues, but the same challenges reappear. Resources are allocated to projects that don’t deliver real impact. There’s constant debate over priorities, but no clear direction. Quick fixes get implemented, but deeper issues remain untouched. If your team is busy but not producing meaningful change, they aren’t solving the right problems—they’re just patching symptoms.  Here are some root causes No Root Cause Analysis Most teams jump straight to solutions without diagnosing the problem. They see a visible issue—like a spike in customer complaints—and react instead of investigating the real cause What This Looks Like: Teams rush to fix what’s obvious without asking, “Why is this happening?” Problems keep resurfacing because solutions are shallow, not deep. Leadership grows frustrated as the same issues persist despite “fixes.” Pressure to Act Quickly In fast-moving environments, teams feel pressure to be seen fixing things rather than taking the time to address them correctly. The result? Short-term band-aids instead of long-term solutions. What This Looks Like: Quick decisions are made under pressure, often without full data. Teams fix what’s easiest to change, not what will have the biggest impact. Leadership praises fast action over smart action, reinforcing the habit. No Prioritization Rubric Even when teams do identify multiple issues, they can still struggle to prioritize because they dont have a structured methodology to evaluate what matters.  They focus on activity vs impact. What This Looks Like: The loudest voice in the room dictates what gets worked on. People default to “urgent” problems rather than important ones. Efforts are scattered, leading to inconsistent progress. Teach Teams to Diagnose  Implement a structured approach like root cause analysis before jumping to action. Use techniques like: The 5 Whys Method (asking “why” repeatedly until you reach the root cause). Logic trees to break down complex problems into manageable parts. Data validation to confirm you’re solving the real issue. When teams diagnose first, they stop treating symptoms and start eliminating problems at the source. Shift the Culture from Speed to Impact Fast action feels good—but effective action drives results. Encourage teams to: Slow down before speeding up—taking time to analyze first. Define success up front—ensuring solutions create lasting impact. Reward problem selection, not just problem-solving—so teams focus on the right issues. Create a Framework for Prioritizing Problems Give teams a structured way to evaluate which problems deserve attention. Consider: Impact vs. Effort: Will solving this create meaningful results? Urgency vs. Importance: Is this critical, or just loud? Alignment: Does solving this support key business goals? With a shared framework, teams align on where to focus instead of spinning their wheels. If your team keeps revisiting the same problems, check their ability to conduct a real root cause analysis If you can shift symptom-fixing to root cause resolution, replacing urgency with impact-based decision-making, and adopting a structured prioritization method, you’ll break the cycle  Want to stop fixing the wrong problems? Join our webinar Wednesday, April 2nd at 1:00pm Pacific.  Click here to register

If your days are filled with solving problems your team should handle, you’re not alone. Many leaders find themselves stuck in escalation overload, drowning in tactical decisions instead of focusing on strategy. At first, it might seem like a leadership issue—maybe your team lacks experience or initiative. But the real problem is deeper: without a structured approach to decision-making and problem-solving, teams escalate issues instead of handling them. The Symptoms: How Escalation Overload Shows Up If any of these sound familiar, your team may be over-relying on leadership for problem-solving: You spend more time fixing operational issues than shaping long-term strategy. Your team escalates challenges that should be resolved at lower levels. Decision bottlenecks slow progress and delay execution. This cycle buries leaders in tactical work while high-impact initiatives stall. Why? No Clear Decision-Making Framework When teams don’t know who owns which decisions, they push everything up the chain. Without clear guidelines, even minor problems land on leadership’s desk. No Standardized Problem-Solving Approach Most teams lack a structured way to diagnose and resolve challenges. Instead, they react as issues arise, leading to repeated escalations and band-aid fixes. Fear of Getting It Wrong Unclear accountability leads to hesitation. Employees fear making the wrong call, so they seek leadership approval rather than taking ownership. How to Fix It Establish a Decision-Making FrameworkDefine who handles what at each level. Give teams clear criteria for when to escalate versus when to act. Train Teams in Structured Problem-SolvingProvide a repeatable method for breaking down problems and identifying root causes. When teams follow a process, they gain confidence in decision-making. Encourage Ownership and AccountabilityShift the mindset from identifying problems to owning solutions. Recognize and reward proactive problem-solving. If you’re constantly pulled into tactical issues, it’s a problem. Without structure, teams will keep escalating instead of solving. Don’t waste another quarter fixing the same issues. Join our upcoming webinar where we will discuss how to turn problem-solving into a competitive advantage by equipping their teams with a structured approach to diagnosing issues, making data-driven decisions, and executing solutions that drive real impact.   Join our webinar Wednesday, April 2nd at 1:00pm Pacific.  Click here to register

Unclear Strategy: Leadership struggles to define a clear, actionable strategy.  Impact: Teams work on misaligned priorities, wasting time and resources Poor Strategy Execution:  Strategy doesn’t translate into concrete actions.  Impact: Initiatives stall, and execution lacks discipline. Inconsistent structure:  No structured system to sustain execution.  Impact: Strategic efforts lose momentum over time. Leadership Gaps:  Teams don’t have the right leadership to drive execution.  Impact: Slow decision-making and poor accountability. Weak Decision-Making and Problem-Solving:  Leaders don’t have  structured problem-solving frameworks to hand over to their teams.  Impact: Poor decisions and misaligned execution. Leadership Resistance to Change: Executives struggle to adapt to new ways of working.  Impact: Slow transformation and ineffective leadership.