Gut feeling can be right. Digging deeper is better.

They thought they had a labor market problem.
That wasn't the case.

A member of the Supervisory Board put me in touch with the CEO of a medium-sized company. He knew that, through Bounce & Steer, I help companies implement stalled plans, so he asked me to take a look. There were three of us: the CEO, the Supervisory Board member, and me. He got right to the point.

“We have a positioning issue,” he said. “And we’re struggling with the labor market. We just can’t seem to fill certain roles. What do you think?”

Before I could answer, the RvA member added:

“We’re still growing, but it feels less under control than it did a few years ago. We feel like this is starting to affect our bottom line.”

A logical question—and also exactly the moment when things often go wrong: the tendency to jump straight to solutions. I didn’t answer the question right away. “Why do you think that?” I asked.

The CEO leaned forward slightly. “Yes, we simply don’t have enough people. We’re making far too many mistakes, and I think we sometimes lack focus. And we can’t find any new people.”

I was familiar with that line of reasoning. “How long has this been going on?” “A year. Maybe longer.” “How is that showing up in the results?”

He looked at the RvA member. “We’re missing out on major opportunities. And the pressure on the people who are there is becoming too much.”

I asked another question: “What would happen if you were to get a handle on internal control and coordination—without any changes in the labor market?”

“Then we’ll have a completely different conversation,” he said. “But I’m not sure, because it’s not like we’re not doing anything there.”

“I understand that, but my suggestion is that we start there anyway.” “Because that’s purely internal, and that’s the foundation: you have no idea how much potential still lies there.”

They looked at each other.

“Then let’s do that first,” said the CEO.

He later said:

“I was expecting an answer. Not a counter-question. But part of me thought: maybe we’re looking at the wrong problem.”

They asked me to shadow them for a few weeks: a few days a week, right in the heart of the organization. In day-to-day operations, in meetings, and in decision-making. Not to write a report, but to see where implementation was getting stuck.

During those weeks, I sought out these conversations. I asked specific questions, listened, and kept probing. I drew on a lot of commercial and HR data, as well as financial analyses. I compared intuition with facts. Until it became clear where the problem lay.

Another thing that stood out: the problem wasn't new.

The signs were already there, even within the management team. But they remained isolated comments. No one connected the dots. Everyone saw a part of the picture, but no one saw the whole picture. And no one was truly responsible for efficiency “across” departments.

At the same time, I also noticed this: everyone was busy, but never with the same thing. Priorities kept shifting. Decisions were put off or only half-made. A few people managed to keep it all together.

As long as things went smoothly, it worked. But now the process was starting to stall, and the quality was declining.

Another thing I often heard was, “We need new people.”

Whether that was true or not didn’t even matter at the time. It became an excuse everyone could hide behind. And so the real problem remained out of sight.

My conclusion: there was no shortage of people.

But there was no sense of ownership when it came to carrying out truly important tasks. And because cross-departmental priorities had not been clearly defined, there was no real or effective collaboration. Promising opportunities in the market were not seized upon collectively.

The organization was no longer functioning effectively. It wasn’t a conscious decision; it had gradually crept in. Due to a lack of focus. And because no one was responsible for organization-wide growth and quality.

We had a few frank and straightforward conversations. From that point on, things started to take shape.

Not about the labor market, but about their own organization and operations.

Where is our growth coming from? Where are we making money? Where are we losing it?

Who contributes, and what takes up the most time and energy? Who is responsible for what?

We didn’t discuss those questions in separate groups (we disbanded those groups—and there were many of them)—but first in the executive meeting, where decisions and tough choices had to be made. After that, we involved everyone else.

There were significant changes in how things were run. Pointless meetings disappeared. Responsibility was given to people who were capable of handling it. Decisions were made and followed through. And people were placed in roles where they could contribute the most. Within a few months, the difference was clear.

More focus, less “energy wasted within the department,” and greater output with the same team. But also more flexibility to solve problems together.

The plan worked. There was still a lot to do, but we had a clear course of action—and people in charge. I stepped back again.

The job market hadn't changed. She had.

And what about that positioning issue? It was definitely there.

But since the implementation was back on track, the manager in charge was able to handle it himself and coordinate with many people. It was faster and more effective than if we had jumped right in.

That was the goal. Many problems seem to have an external cause—until you take a closer look.

If you notice that your organization is underperforming—but you’re not sure where the problem lies—don’t start by looking at strategy or external factors; instead, focus on your own execution.

Bounce & Steer helps entrepreneurs and companies get stalled projects back on track. Not with a team of analysts and a PowerPoint report at the end. But with the very people who ultimately have to do the work: until things are running smoothly again.