The Hidden Reason Growth Stalls
Welcome to another Toolkit Tuesday! Every week, our goal is to give you a practical leadership tool to put in your toolkit.
So There I Was . . .
We’ve seen this with several clients, especially ones still led by the original owner.
Most founders in this situation are pioneers or connectors. They built the business from nothing and pushed it through the early years with vision and grit. Eventually they reach the point where they know they need help, so they hire a COO to bring stability and structure.
They believe they’re hiring someone to lighten the load.
But once the COO starts doing what establishment actually requires, everything feels stuck to the founder. Growth slows. Decisions take more time. Systems get introduced that feel heavy. The founder starts to wonder if they hired the wrong person.
From their perspective, the COO is slowing the business down.
From the COO’s perspective, they’re doing exactly what the business needs to stand on solid ground before it can expand again.
What neither of them sees at first is that the business is no longer in Startup. It’s in Establishment, and the rules have changed.
The Challenge
When leaders do not recognize the season they are in, they misread each other’s intentions. Startup strengths create speed and momentum, but they do not create stability. Establishment strengths create structure and consistency, but they can feel slow to future-oriented leaders. Without clarity on the phase, conflict builds and progress stalls.
The Tool: Pass the Baton
Pass the Baton highlights the three natural phases of growth for every team or project: Startup, Establishment, and Expansion.
Startup depends on pioneers, connectors, and creatives who thrive in vision, possibility, and unstructured environments.
Establishment depends on guardians and nurturers who build systems, protect quality, and stabilize the business.
Expansion brings the pioneers and creatives back into the mix to take the next hill and pursue new opportunities.
The tool helps leaders match the right strengths to the right season so teams stop working against each other and start moving in the same direction.
Why This Matters Now
Many organizations sit in Establishment while thinking they should still be operating like a Startup. That gap creates unnecessary pressure. Founders blame their operators. Operators feel misunderstood. Guardians and nurturers feel drowned out by constant change.
When teams understand their season, expectations reset. Pacing improves. Trust rebuilds. You create the foundation needed for real expansion.
The Result
If you act, you create alignment. You give your future-oriented leaders clarity on why certain decisions take time. You empower your systems-minded leaders to do the work that protects long-term health. Growth becomes sustainable instead of frantic.
If you do not act, tension will increase. Startup-minded owners will keep pushing for speed. Establishment-minded leaders will keep fighting fires created by rushed decisions. Morale drops. Progress slows. Everyone feels stuck.
Take Action
Identify your season. Decide if your team is in Startup, Establishment, or Expansion. Be honest about what the business needs right now, not what feels most comfortable. Once you call the season, operate consistently with it.
Talk with us about your phase. If you want help diagnosing your season or aligning your team with the right strengths, schedule a call. We can map your growth cycle and clarify what baton needs to be passed next.
Closing the Loop
Those frustrated founders we worked with finally found clarity when they named their season. They put it on the wall and committed to operating in Establishment for a defined period. Even if they did not have every voice represented, they started asking the right questions. What would a guardian see here? What would a nurturer worry about? What would a pioneer or creative pursue next?
Once they understood who should run the next leg, the pressure eased. They passed the baton, trusted the process, and created a healthier path back to expansion.
People thrive when they know what the team needs from them and why it matters right now.
