Stop me if this sounds familiar. You’ve got a talented team, a clear strategy, and big goals—but somehow, progress is slower than it should be. Deadlines slip, projects drag on, and despite your best efforts, your team just isn’t moving fast enough. You want to accelerate outcomes, and it feels like you’ve got the resources to achieve it, but you just keep missing the mark. Sound familiar?
As a team manager or executive, you’re responsible for delivering results. But when things stall, it’s frustrating—not just for you, but for your entire organisation. The pressure is real, and the stakes are high.
Here’s the good news: If your team is struggling to accelerate outcomes, there’s a reason. And once you understand what’s slowing things down, you can fix it. In this article, you’ll discover the most common reasons teams fail to execute efficiently—and, more importantly, how to turn things around and drive better results.
The Common Reasons Teams Struggle to Accelerate Outcomes
But don’t count on it. Research consistently shows that teams underperform, despite all the extra resources they have. That’s because problems with coordination and motivation typically chip away at the benefits of collaboration (Harvard Business Review).
If your team isn’t hitting goals fast enough, there’s a reason—and it’s not just about working harder. The key to accelerating outcomes lies in identifying and fixing the real bottlenecks slowing your team down. Here are some of the most common reasons teams struggle with execution:
1. Lack of Clear Priorities and Alignment Creates Struggle to Accelerate Outcomes
When everything feels urgent, nothing truly is. If your team isn’t aligned on what matters most, they end up scattered—working on too many things at once and making slow progress on all of them.
The impact? Employees feel overwhelmed, key projects drag on, and effort is wasted on low-value tasks.
The fix: Define clear priorities. Make sure your team understands what the top objectives are and why they matter. Keep communication simple: if someone asks, “What’s the most important thing we should be working on right now?” they should have a clear answer.
2. Poor Communication and Execution Gaps Impacts Accelerate Outcomes
Decisions get lost in endless email chains. Messages don’t reach the right people. Important updates get buried. Sound familiar?
When communication is unclear, teams waste time figuring out what to do instead of actually doing it. Execution slows down because people are waiting on answers, duplicating work, or operating with incomplete information.
The fix: Streamline communication. Cut down on unnecessary meetings, use project management tools to track progress, and ensure instructions are clear and actionable.
3. Leadership Bottlenecks and Micromanagement on Accelerating Outcomes
As a manager, you want to stay informed—but if every decision needs to go through you, your team’s progress will crawl.
Leaders often become bottlenecks without realising it. Whether it’s waiting on approvals or over-involvement in minor details, micromanagement kills momentum.
The fix: Empower your team. Trust them to make decisions within clear boundaries. Focus on setting direction and removing obstacles rather than controlling every step.
Read: Challenges Leaders Have to Face in Transformation
4. Resistance to Change and Lack of Accountability
Change is uncomfortable, and teams often resist new ways of working—even if they would be more effective. If your team is stuck in old habits, they’ll struggle to move faster.
At the same time, if there’s no accountability, slow execution becomes the norm. If missed deadlines and low standards go unchecked, the entire team slows down.
The fix: Create a culture of adaptability and accountability. Reward those who take initiative and hold team members responsible for results. Change should be framed as an opportunity, not a threat.
Read: Barriers to Achieving Successful Transformation
5. Ineffective Processes and Workflow Inefficiencies
A broken process will slow down even the most talented team. Unnecessary approvals, outdated tools, and redundant steps all eat away at efficiency.
The fix: Regularly review and optimise processes. Ask: What’s slowing us down? What steps can we eliminate? The best teams constantly refine how they work to remove friction and improve speed.
How to Overcome These Challenges as a Leader and Accelerate Outcomes In Your Organisation
Understanding why teams struggle to accelerate outcomes is only half the battle. The real impact comes from making the right changes. As a leader, your role isn’t just to push for results but to create the conditions that make speed and efficiency possible. Here’s how to do that effectively.
1. Set Clear Priorities and Expectations to Accelerate Outcomes
When priorities are unclear or constantly shifting, teams lose focus and progress slows down. Without a clear sense of what matters most, employees spread their efforts too thin, resulting in delayed outcomes.
What to do:
- Define and communicate the top three priorities for your team.
- Ensure every team member understands how their work contributes to these goals.
- Reinforce priorities consistently in meetings and one-on-one discussions.
A simple approach is the stoplight method—green for must-do, yellow for nice-to-have, and red for distractions. If a task doesn’t align with green objectives, it should not be a focus.
2. Improve Team Communication and Collaboration and Outcomes Will Accelerate
Poor communication leads to confusion, missed deadlines, and duplicated work. Many execution issues can be traced back to unclear instructions, scattered updates, or ineffective collaboration tools.
What to do:
- Reduce unnecessary meetings and use asynchronous updates where possible.
- Use project management tools like Notion, Asana, or Monday.com to centralise updates.
- Encourage direct and concise communication to prevent misunderstandings.
Implement a “no waiting” rule—if a team member is stuck, they should flag the issue within 24 hours so it can be resolved quickly.
Read: Why Agility is Important to Building an Adaptive Business
3. Empower Your Team with Autonomy and Accountability
If every decision has to go through leadership, progress will always be slow. High-performing teams move fast because they have the authority to make decisions within clear guidelines.
What to do:
- Establish decision-making frameworks so employees know what they can decide independently.
- Encourage team members to take responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks.
- Shift from micromanagement to structured check-ins that provide guidance rather than control.
When a team member presents a problem, ask, “What do you recommend?” before giving your input. This builds confidence in decision-making and reduces unnecessary approvals.
4. Create a Culture of Adaptability and Ownership
Teams that move too slowly often resist change or lack accountability. Without a culture that values adaptability, inefficiencies persist, and improvements are delayed.
What to do:
- Make adaptability a core team value by rewarding those who take initiative.
- Create a sense of urgency around deadlines by reinforcing their importance.
- Recognise employees who take ownership and push projects forward.
After every major project, run a retrospective to ask, “What slowed us down? What can we improve next time?” This fosters a mindset of continuous improvement.
5. Streamline Processes for Efficiency and Execution
Even the most talented teams can be slowed down by inefficient processes. Bureaucratic approvals, redundant steps, and outdated workflows create unnecessary friction.
What to do:
- Regularly audit workflows to eliminate unnecessary steps and approvals.
- Automate repetitive tasks where possible to free up time for higher-value work.
- Require a one-page project brief before launching major initiatives to ensure alignment.
Ask your team, “If we had to cut our timeline in half, what would we do differently?” This forces creative problem-solving around efficiency.
Faster Execution Starts with Better Leadership
The speed of a team is a direct reflection of how well leadership sets direction, removes obstacles, and empowers execution.
By clarifying priorities, improving communication, giving your team more ownership, and continuously refining processes, you create an environment where execution happens faster and more effectively.
To accelerate outcomes, start by identifying one bottleneck today—and take action to fix it.
