Weak leadership is unable to make cut and dry decisions about the company's focus, instead choosing to go after any business that comes their way. A shocking percentage of these initiatives generate little to no profit, but executives continue to worship revenue regardless of margins.
Distributed teams managed poorly. A disproportionate concentration of company partners work out of LA headquarters, while other office locations plug away without much needed senior leadership. The distance isn't the problem per se, it's that executives aren't taking explicit ownership of all locations equally.
Executive leadership seems to fall into one of two camps:
1. Completely in the weeds. These are division heads who are fully immersed in project execution, sales, and other day-to-day duties that make it impossible for them to focus on the company's overall direction. As a result of this approach, most divisions operate without guidance and lack clarity as to the company's overall mission.
2. Completely disconnected: There's a group of senior partners who came up with the company, yet do little actual work. In theory this group could focus on steering the ship from a holistic perspective, but they either lack the ability or desire to do so. They tend to come and go as they please, keeping no real work schedule, and lacking any accountability for their lack measurable impact on the company's fate.
