Nobody Thinks They're the Bottleneck. And That's Exactly the Problem

Last week I asked a simple question. If you're running a business, what's silently killing your growth right now? Here are...

Last week I asked a simple question. If you're running a business, what's silently killing your growth right now?

Here are the results:

Do you see the last number? I've been sitting with it for a little bit.

How many people think they are the bottleneck? Zero. Nada. Not. One. Person. And before you keep reading, sit with it for a second too. Because if your first reaction was "well, that's obviously not me", nnjjaa that's kind of the point.

Let's talk about it for a second.

That zero in my experience, is almost never humility. It's the hardest thing to see when you're the one standing in the middle of it.

I've worked with enough leaders to say this out loud: in most businesses where the team is misaligned, where output is low, where things feel stuck there's usually someone at the top who is convinced the problem is somewhere else. And it's because you genuinely cannot see yourself clearly from the inside.

I get it. Some decisions take too long, priorities change every other week. The vision is crystal clear in your head but somehow never fully lands with anyone eeelse. Processes you keep saying you'll build when things slow down (and you know they won't) etc...

That's the bottleneck. And sometimes, it has your name on it.

Sorry, not sorry.

The CEOs I've seen move the fastest are never the ones with the best strategy and the ones with the best plan. They're the ones willing to ask "okay, what am I doing here that isn't helping?" That question alone changes everything.

That outside perspective, someone who can see what you can't from inside, is often the most valuable thing. And it's a big part of what I do.

Now, the 60%.

Team misalignment and low output. I get why that won. It's the most visible and the most exhausting. You feel it every single day. But here's the thing. In almost every case I've seen, it's not actually a team problem.

It's a system problem. And under that, usually a leadership one. I know, right?

People pull in different directions when no one has really defined what good looks like. For instance, priorities shift without explanation, ownership is so fuzzy that everyone assumes someone else is handling it (I've been a part of a few organizations with this particular problem) etc. And what happens is that people stop moving when they've learned that moving without permission gets them in trouble. But also, what else is for them to do?

You can't fix that with a team day or a new tool or another meeting about the meetings. You fix it by building the thing underneath. Which is the operational layer that makes alignment actually possible. And more importantly, by being honest about where it starts. When I work with a business, this is usually where we begin.

And the other 40%? The no processes, execution that doesn't match the strategy?

Same problem. Different packaging. All three answers are pointing at the same thing. The foundation isn't built. And until it is, you're just running faster on a floor that isn't solid.

So here's the uncomfortable question.

Which answer did you vote for? And did you even pause on the last one?

Because if somewhere in the back of your head there was a "...maybe, but I'm not saying that", that's not something to brush off. That's actually the most important data point you have right now.

The gap between the business you're running and the one you're trying to build is real. But it's closeable. Just not if you're looking for the problem everywhere except the one place that matters most. And more importantly - not if you are only focused on the problem instead of finding a solution. But again, to find a solution, you need to be aware that there is a challenge.

I work with CEOs who are ready to look. If that's you (eeeven a little), I'm open for a (real) conversation.

Not sure if you are the bottleneck? Check my free CEO Bottleneck Audit Quiz and find out.

And if this hit somewhere, save it. You might want to come back to it.