Why Brilliant Teams Fail: The Hidden People Problem
Regardless of what kind of organization you are starting—tech startup, small business, nonprofit—technical and process problems aren't going to close down your shop. People problems will.
Let me share an example.
I spoke with a founder who just 6 months ago raised Series A funding. They have great technology. A strong market fit. A brilliant team of engineers who built something both needed and genuinely innovative.
Here's what's happening now:
They promoted their best developer to manager of the team—and he is burning out.
Two senior engineers just gave notice because they want to move away from chaotic communication and shifting priorities.
Product meetings have turned into hours of unhealthy conflict between engineering and design.
The founding team is working 80-hour weeks just to keep everything from imploding.
Sound familiar?
After years of working with scaling teams, I've learned:
The solution isn't hiring better people—it's teaching the brilliant people you already have how to navigate the messy, complicated reality of human communication under pressure.
Regardless of the product or services you offer.
This is the Key to Success
The success of any business or nonprofit venture lies not in the systems, processes, or even quality, but in how leadership supports people to:
Communicate with clarity and transparency.
Manage emotional reactions to stress, pressure, and letdowns.
Resolve conflict while still maintaining trust.
Focus on the big picture and not get distracted by drama and chaos.
The Crux of the Problem
Most newer founders and leaders see their best individual contributors doing well, so they promote them into leadership roles with zero preparation.
Why? Because they assume technical knowledge automatically translates to people leadership.
Past performance is not necessarily an indicator of good leadership.
"I am very thankful for the opportunity to work with Beth. I took detailed notes on every conversation, tried to implement her recommendations and read the emails. She really helped me find my footing as a leader—my team and I have both benefited tremendously because of it. She's putting me in a better position to create the work environment I have always dreamed of."
— JOHN SWEET, NETWORK SECTION ENGINEER
My Story
I learned this the hard way. Several decades ago, I was responsible for selecting, mentoring, and coaching my replacement when I was leaving a leadership position. The woman I hired was young, eager, smart, and charismatic. She also had been working in the industry for about five years.
As soon as the onboarding period ended, she crashed and burned. I felt professional embarrassment when she chose to leave, thus proving that she could see what I didn't.
She saw that, although her technical and industry knowledge were great, she didn't have the leadership skills or experience for managing complex humans that was required for that level of position.
You see, even seemingly "natural born leaders" need advising, coaching, and skill development to help them apply their talent effectively.
This lesson has never left me. I pushed her before she was ready and it wasn't successful or sustainable. I didn't factor in that she didn't have the experience, skill, or training to know how to lead a complex group of talented and driven humans.
Just because someone can debug complex systems doesn't mean they know how to debug communication breakdowns, unhealthy conflict, or optimize team performance—especially under pressure.
Since then, I've worked with countless "natural born leaders" who were promoted too early.
I've helped them avoid crashing and burning. What they needed was someone to walk alongside them, in confidentiality, who could listen and then advise or redirect. And let's face it, no founder has the time for this level of support. The result? Your culture suffers. Your velocity decreases. Your best people start looking elsewhere.
What You Can Do
When newer companies and startups begin to take off, your processes and technical challenges will get solved. After all, you've hired the best people to work on them. But if you don't invest in developing your people's communication and team scaling capabilities, all that brilliance gets wasted on internal friction.
Giving your leaders (and yourself) support from an experienced and confidential advisor/coach isn't just nice-to-have for scaling and sustaining your business—it's essential.
Stop Watching Brilliant People Struggle
The skills required to scale teams are completely teachable and learnable.
I have space to take on new clients who are at the point where:
Your product or service has been established and there is clear market demand, but your team is struggling to communicate and work efficiently.
Revenue is growing, your business model and core processes are somewhat defined and repeatable, but the management team is in disarray.
Your existing team can't handle the workload and key people are overwhelmed.
Promoted managers are struggling or are in danger of alienating staff.
You fear losing your best talent and potential leaders.
I Can Help You
Schedule your 30-minute strategy call to discuss how I can help your organization scale without losing its soul.
You deserve better. Your team deserves better. Your customers deserve better.
Let's make it happen.
Beth