Self Help

During our advisory work with a media group scaling across Asia, it became clear the bottleneck wasn’t at the top or the frontline — it was in the middle. Mid-level managers had been promoted rapidly. They were good operators, but suddenly expected to lead without training, mandate clarity, or tools. The result? They micromanaged or avoided decisions Teams were confused about direction Founders kept getting pulled back into the weeds It’s a familiar story: the middle breaks b

“If I’m not in the room, nothing moves.” That’s what one founder told us — and not proudly. He was at the center of everything: approvals, decisions, direction. And it worked... until the company grew. Then it started breaking. Every growth-stage company reaches a moment where founder involvement becomes a ceiling, not a strength. What once drove momentum begins to slow it down. 🔍 The Hidden Cost of Founder Dependency In the early days, founder involvement is critical. But l

Is Your Leadership Team Actually Aligned? “We thought we were aligned — until everything started pulling in different directions.” That’s what one leadership team told us. On the surface, things looked great. But behind the scenes, execution stalled: Teams duplicated work Decisions escalated unnecessarily Senior leaders gave conflicting guidance The problem? Not strategy. Unclear mandates. 🔍 The Quiet Alignment Gap In growth-stage companies, alignment is often based on famil

A founder once shared with us, “We’re growing fast. Revenue’s up. But it feels like I’m paddling upstream with no oars.” We could relate. Not because we had been in their exact shoes — but because we have walked with many just like them. This isn’t a story about failure. It’s about momentum… and what it takes to stay ahead of it. Growth can feel like success — until it starts to bend your team, blur your numbers, and burn you out. One business we worked with had a great produ