Why do leaders become bottlenecks?
In most organisations, everyone knows what they are responsible for. But a leader must know what everyone is responsible for — and how all the moving parts fit together.
Yet today’s business landscape is more complex — with more moving parts, tighter interconnections, and a faster pace of change. No single leader can realistically hold the entire picture in their head.
Some try.
They walk into meetings trying to pick up the thread of where things left off last time. They repeat themselves — again and again — determined that this time, nothing will fall through the cracks.
But this turns them into a bottleneck. The organisation ends up moving only as fast as they can remember and re-explain the plan.
There are exceptions to this pitfall. I’ve worked with a few rare individuals who can keep the whole system in their heads — and make quick, smart decisions with impressive fluency.
But even they run into trouble.
They struggle to explain the big picture in their head in a way that others can grasp. They get frustrated that people don’t “get it” — and end up taking on too much themselves, convinced they’re the only capable one.
And just like that, the bottleneck returns.
But there’s a better way. One where everyone sees the big picture — not just their part. Where people understand how their work connects to others, and how coordinated action drives results.
If your organisation is “being tactical” — trying to move fast to keep up with a changing world — then horizontal coordination is how you gain momentum, adapt smarter, and move as one.
How to do it is the focus of the next blog in this series.
Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss it.
In most organisations, everyone knows what they are responsible for. But a leader must know what everyone is responsible for — and how all the moving parts fit together.
Yet today’s business landscape is more complex — with more moving parts, tighter interconnections, and a faster pace of change. No single leader can realistically hold the entire picture in their head.
Some try.
They walk into meetings trying to pick up the thread of where things left off last time. They repeat themselves — again and again — determined that this time, nothing will fall through the cracks.
But this turns them into a bottleneck. The organisation ends up moving only as fast as they can remember and re-explain the plan.
There are exceptions to this pitfall. I’ve worked with a few rare individuals who can keep the whole system in their heads — and make quick, smart decisions with impressive fluency.
But even they run into trouble.
They struggle to explain the big picture in their head in a way that others can grasp. They get frustrated that people don’t “get it” — and end up taking on too much themselves, convinced they’re the only capable one.
And just like that, the bottleneck returns.
But there’s a better way. One where everyone sees the big picture — not just their part. Where people understand how their work connects to others, and how coordinated action drives results.
If your organisation is “being tactical” — trying to move fast to keep up with a changing world — then horizontal coordination is how you gain momentum, adapt smarter, and move as one.
How to do it is the focus of the next blog in this series.
Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss it.
