There’s a pattern I’ve seen too often in fast-growing companies—especially small to midsize firms scaling quickly.
A team doubles in size. Revenues climb. The pressure to execute is intense. In the middle of all this momentum, high-performing employees get promoted. It makes sense. Reward performance. Recognize drive. Put people in charge.
And it works—on paper.
But soon enough, cracks begin to show.
The Symptoms: Disconnected Teams and Burned-Out Managers
Direct reports begin offering feedback like:
“I wish I had more guidance.” “I don’t get regular check-ins.” “I’m not sure what success looks like in my role.”
Meanwhile, newly-minted managers feel overwhelmed:
“They should just do their jobs.” “I don’t have time to handhold.” “Why is everyone so needy?”
And right there, in that disconnect, is your hidden growth ceiling.
Not a hiring problem. Not a culture issue. A leadership development gap that quietly stalls momentum, creates turnover, and leaves founders wondering why everything feels harder than it should.
Promoting for Technical Skill Creates a Leadership Gap
The problem starts with how promotions are made.
In most growing companies, employees rise because of technical expertise—what they do, not how they lead. They’re efficient, independent, fast-moving, detail-oriented. These are excellent qualities for getting things done. But they don’t always translate into being able to:
Develop others
Give feedback that motivates
Build trust and connection
Delegate without micromanaging
In fact, the same strengths that make someone excellent as an individual contributor—perfectionism, speed, self-reliance—can actively work against them when managing a team.
This is where many companies hit a ceiling: They scale the business, but not the people building it.
It’s Not a Hiring Problem. It’s a Development Problem.
When I work with organizations experiencing retention issues or cultural drift, the first instinct is often external:
“We just need to find the right people.” “We’re not hiring strong enough talent.”
But what’s usually happening underneath is more internal:
Managers aren’t set up to succeed.
No one’s taught them how to lead.
And now they’re expected to carry more people—without more support.
Leadership is often treated as something you just “pick up” once promoted. But succession planning isn’t about moving one person up a level—it’s about building a strong bench that grows with the company.
And that takes intention.
A Harvard Business Review study found that companies that invest in leadership development see 114% higher sales and 71% higher profit than those that don’t. Yet in many fast-growing companies, leadership development is seen as a luxury. Something for the future. A “nice-to-have.”
But the truth is:
You can’t scale what you haven’t built.
The Real Cost of the Gap
This leadership gap doesn’t just frustrate employees. It drives turnover. It creates silos. It puts enormous pressure on senior leadership to constantly intervene or “fix” what’s broken.
I’ve coached founders who are exhausted by it.
They dream of a team that can take ownership. But what they’re missing is the middle layer—a strong group of managers who know how to:
Give clear direction
Develop talent
Manage conflict
Communicate expectations
Coach without controlling
These aren’t traits you hire for. They’re skills you build.
What Growing Companies Need to Do Differently
If you want to avoid hitting the growth ceiling, you need to reframe how you think about leadership capacity:
✅ Train people before they manage. Don’t wait until someone is already in over their head. Offer coaching, communication, and feedback tools before the promotion.
✅ Normalize leadership development as part of growth. Technical training scales tasks. Leadership development scales people. Make it a pillar of your business strategy, not an afterthought.
✅ Treat succession planning as a long game. Think beyond next quarter. Build internal pipelines so you’re always growing future leaders across roles and levels.
✅ Invest in coaching skills. Being a great leader isn’t just about driving results—it’s about building relationships. That includes learning how to motivate, resolve conflict, and delegate well.
Final Thought: The Ceiling Isn’t Capacity. It’s Leadership Depth.
You already have talent. What’s missing is the support to help that talent evolve into leadership.
You don’t need to keep hiring to solve your scaling challenges. You need to help the people you already have become better leaders.
That’s not a cost—it’s a multiplier.
What to read next?
What if some of the most valuable leadership lessons weren’t found in executive programs or strategic frameworks—but in the way a kindergartener explores the world?
A colleague recently shared a story: When asked what they would change about themselves, adults focused on physical traits—height, weight, appearance. But young children gave very different answers. They said things like “wings” or “the ability to fly.”