The desire to be faster is almost universal. What’s far less common is the ability to make it happen. Approvals stack up, ownership gets unclear, and work stalls in between teams.
Our research shows that this kind of friction can cost 1–5% of revenue each year. Not because the work is wrong, but because it takes too long to get done. Leaders can usually spot the friction; the real challenge is figuring how to remove it.
These are the habits we see work in practice — across our teams and thousands of client engagements. They’ll sound familiar. That’s the point. The real test is whether they’re actually happening.
Why You’re Moving Slow — and How to Fix It
1. Approval overload is a leadership failure. Assign one owner and move.
More than one-third of managers rank excessive approval layers among their top speed blockers – but the real issue isn’t process, it’s ownership. When it’s unclear who can decide, everything gets escalated.
Every major outcome needs a single named owner with real authority to make decisions without escalation. Then, replace multi-step signoffs with easy choices — approve, revise, or escalate — and enforce a 24–72-hour response window for routine decisions. The results is fewer decisions by committee (slow) and more single decisions (fast).
2. Misalignment at the start guarantees delays. Align on outcomes first.
Misalignment is one of the fastest ways to lose time. When teams don’t agree on outcomes, success gets redefined midstream — and work has to be revisited, reworked, or restarted.
A simple fix: A one-page overview document covering key outcomes, success metrics, and top dependencies gives everyone a shared reference point. This can be initiative-based, or how a team is measuring ongoing success. Require explicit agreement from stakeholders so disagreements are resolved before they become delays.