how to spot a people problem in your business
Before it costs you
Let's get to iT
You know something’s off in your team. You can’t quite explain it but it’s been nagging at you for some time.
People aren’t as proactive as they used to be. You’re repeating yourself more. You don’t feel like you have the right support and so need to get involved in everything. There’s friction. Or silence. Or both.
Deep down, you’re wondering:
“Is this just how it is… or is there something else going on that I’m not seeing or a problem that I’m ignoring?”
The truth is that if you’ve got that gut feeling, then you’re probably right.
But most CEOs wait until the problem’s fully on fire before they do anything about it.
A common observation I’ve made in startups or scaleups is that when things start slipping (deadlines, performance, motivation, trust), the finger is frequently pointed at individuals.
But when this stuff happens, it’s rarely about the people and more about the environment they’re in.
It’s about the lack of clarity, direction, consistency, or leadership they’re operating in.
And guess what? You built that environment.
But this isn’t about blame.
It’s about owning what you've created, so that you can improve it.
And unless you catch it early, it gets expensive.
Fast.
HERE ARE FIVE SIGNS
THAT YOU'VE GOT SOME PROBLEMS BREWING...
1. You're constantly re-explaining things.
You give clear direction (or so you think), but what comes back is confused, incomplete or half-arsed.
This is pretty typical when people are unclear of what’s expected of them, they don’t feel safe to ask, or don’t feel they have ownership of outcomes - there’s no “skin in the game”.
2. Your team isn't challening ideas any more.
No pushback. No new suggestions. Everyone’s nodding along but doing the bare minimum.
These are classic signs of disengagement.
3. The team feels flat, even when results are decent.
You’re hiring and the team are delivering, hitting targets, yet the team vibe is weirdly subdued.
This means that your team isn’t motivated, they’re just keeping the wheels spinning because they’re too exhausted to share success.
4. You keep hiring “great” people who don’t stay
The CVs look amazing, the interviews go well, but they’re not staying after they join. You’ve had a couple of people who took better offers or left because it “isn’t the right role for them”.
This is all about setting clear expectations about the role they’re walking into and the company they’re joining. If they felt like the interview and the reality were misaligned, or they weren’t set up to succeed through onboarding and training, then they’re getting mixed signals and act with their feet.
5. You’re spending more time managing people and fixing problems, than doing your actual job.
You’re the CEO or Founder, not a line manager or Office Manager. Somehow though, you’re getting pulled into the weeds, playing therapist, referee and project manager every week.
This stuff isn’t normal.
These are all signs that your people foundations are cracked.
Yet you miss them because nobody teaches you this stuff.
And you’re probably telling yourself what most of my clients do:
- “We’re just scaling quickly, it’ll settle soon.”
- “It’s probably just a personality clash.”
- “There are no decent candidates out there.”
- “Everyone seems fine in the team meetings…”
Until they’re not.
And you’re losing your best talent, your team’s distracted, and it’s costing you way more than you realise.
QUICK CHECK-IN: Is this happening in your business?
Answer these five questions honestly (yes/no):
- Have you re-hired the same role more than once in 12 months?
- Have you lost a good employee unexpectedly in the past 6 months?
- Are people delivering what you ask for but with zero energy or input?
- Do your managers avoid having hard conversations?
- Are you firefighting people or operations problems more than once a week?
If you said “yes” to two or more, then you’re likely sitting on a people problem, even if it hasn’t blown up just yet.
WHAT TO DO NEXT?
(that doesn’t involve an HR overhaul)
You don’t need a fancy employee engagement platform or a new Head of People. You need to:
- Name the issues out loud: in team meetings, 1:1s, project reviews. Share what you’re observing and ask what others are feeling.
- Check your own leadership patterns: are you being clear on what you’re expecting from your team? How do you support them to deliver their best work? Are you able to make decisions consistently and fairly?
- Get honest feedback from the team: use stay interviews or anonymous feedback forms, or just ask people! Make it easy for them to feedback and create a safe space for them to be open and honest, even with the brutal truth.
- Stop hoping it’ll settle down: it rarely does. Start addressing what you’re seeing by getting to the root cause of the problem. Retention is a growth tool, not a nice-to-have. Plus it is cheaper to retain employees than it is to replace them.
You don’t need to fix it all tomorrow, but you do need to start!
If you’re reading this and thinking “shit, this is us”…that’s good!
Awareness is the first step and a lot of CEOs & Founders never get past the denial or “it’ll blow over” stages.
The best leaders spot people issues early on and sort them out properly, they don’t avoid them.
If something feels off, it probably is. Trust your gut but don’t just stop there; take action before it costs you your best people.
And if you’re ready to invest in solving that problem then that’s what my Employee Retention Mastery programme is built for.
Book your free consultation now.
Not quite ready? Download my “30 ways to reduce employee turnover” guide.