Beyond SOPs: Building a Team of Problem-Solvers
Romans Ivanovs
Helping build high-profit, self-sufficient agencies with scalable systems and high-performance teams | Co-founder Big Growth Group
Co-authored by Kristina Radeva and Romans Ivanovs .
I was speaking with a performance marketing agency COO recently, and he was incredibly frustrated.
COO: (after taking a deep breath) I don’t know what to do, Kristina... My team keeps complaining about our meetings… saying they’re pointless, inefficient and just a waste of time. But I know how important these meetings are for communication and collaboration. It’s driving me nuts.
Me: I leaned forward and said: Sounds like a tough spot. Let me ask you this: who’s leading these meetings right now? COO: I am. I plan the agenda, run through everything, and try to keep the team aligned. Me: And how’s that working for you?
COO: (he laughed bitterly) Not great. I feel like I’m forcing it. Nobody’s engaged and honestly, it’s exhausting.
Me: Here’s the issue—you’re running the meetings like a one-person show. Your team doesn’t feel any ownership over the process, so why should they care?
COO: (frowns) Alright, fair. But what’s the alternative? Cancel the meetings?
Me: Not at all. Meetings are crucial—but how you’re running them? That’s the problem. Here’s an idea: let your team take charge.
So, I shared an idea: instead of running the meetings yourself and forcing everyone to participate, why not let your team take the lead? Let them facilitate.
Here’s WHY that works.
When your team is responsible for gathering data, aligning everyone and ensuring the meeting is effective, two things happen. First, they experience firsthand how challenging and valuable it is to keep everyone on the same page.
It’s not just about the meetings. It’s about ownership. By stepping back and letting them take responsibility, you’re empowering them to solve problems, not just follow orders. And that’s the difference between a disengaged team and one that’s fully invested in driving the agency forward.
The Signs of Over-Dependency
Since we’re on the subject of ownership, let’s flip the script for a second and talk about its ugly counterpart: dependency.
"Why doesn’t my team take initiative? Why do I have to spoon-feed them everything? Why don’t they solve problems on their own?"
Here’s the real answer: you didn’t prioritise building that culture. And if you didn’t prioritise it, it’s not happening. Simple as that.
The red flags are there if you’re willing to look:
?? 1. Constant escalation.
Every time something falls even slightly outside the norm, it lands on your desk. A client asks for a creative solution? The team “needs your input.”
?? 2. Lack of initiative.
Your team follows the script to the letter, even when it’s clearly not working. They see the iceberg, but no one’s willing to steer the ship until you show up and say, “turn left.” You wanted consistency, but what you built is a culture of passivity.
?? 3. Bottlenecks everywhere.
Progress grinds to a halt the moment something falls outside the SOP. Sure, the processes are airtight for predictable problems. But the real world isn’t predictable, and your team doesn’t feel empowered to adapt. The result? A bottleneck at every decision point, all of them waiting for you.
Actually, LET ME RUN another little "assessment" here...
If this sounds familiar, the problem is very likely be the environment you’ve created for your team.
Every time you swoop in to fix things, you reinforce the idea that you are the only one with the answers.
In trying to create a flawless machine, you’ve accidentally removed the need for critical thinking.
If your team is afraid to try something new because mistakes are punished more harshly than stagnation, they’ll always play it safe.
The Psychology of Task-Doers vs Problem-Solvers
Task-doers execute exactly what they’re told. They thrive in highly prescriptive roles but flounder in ambiguity.
Problem-solvers, on the other hand, embrace challenges. They ask, "Why do we do it this way?" and look for better approaches. Agencies thrive when their teams are made up of problem-solvers but fostering this shift requires deliberate effort.
Why Most Teams Aren’t Problem-Solvers
1. You’re hiring for roles, not responsibilities
Most agencies fall into the trap of hiring for titles: project manager, strategist, designer, etc. But titles don’t drive outcomes. Responsibilities do.
2. A players hire A Players. B players hire C players
There are two traps many leaders fall into:
3. Lack of psychological safety
If your team fears punishment for mistakes, they’ll avoid risk at all costs. Innovation dies when people play it safe. Create an environment where asking tough questions like, "Why do we do this at all?"—is not just welcomed but encouraged.
The Systems That Empower Problem-Solvers
A-players thrive in environments where systems enable them, not constrain them. Here’s how you can support that:
1. Decision-making autonomy
Building a team that solves problems without waiting for permission starts with one thing: empowering them to act.
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Here’s how to make it happen:
→ Define decision boundaries.
Don’t leave them guessing what they can and can’t do. Set clear guidelines for where they’re empowered to take the reins.
Example: A media buyer and strategist can approve campaign tweaks or budget shifts up to $10,000/day without approvals. Anything beyond that? Bring it to management/leadership.
→ Empower them (Let your team step into your shoes).
Revert to the scenario we started this article with.
Example: instead of running the meetings yourself and forcing everyone to participate, why not let your team take the lead? Let them facilitate.
The goal?
Create a system where teams feel confident to make 80% of decisions themselves and escalate the 20% that actually matter.
2. Maximise Project Management systems
Most delivery problems can be solved with the right Project Management system. We inevitably have to either A) improve PM setups agencies have in impact or B) completely rebuild them.
The thing is that most team don’t utilise project management software (such as ClickUp, Asana, etc) to its fullest potential.
I know the excuse here as I’ve been there too. It’s lack of time of other priorities overtake the day to day focus. Also, you don't know what’s the expected return in the adjustments you make in your PM system.
But the point is to FREE UP your team so the can focus on higher value tasks, especially problem solving and ideation for how the agency can operate better.
If you’ve hired a strategist and they spend a chunk of their time dealing with moving tickets or trying to weed out a piece of info from your project manager, why did you hire them in first place?
Invest in your systems to free your team for higher-value work.
Case Study: Letting Go of the Reins
One client we worked with had a $70K/month agency, where one of the founders had to micromanage many of the client deliverables. The result? Burnout and a disengaged team.
We introduced a framework where the team took ownership of client success metrics.
Within three months, they developed a new reporting process that saved about 15 hours a week of the founder's time. The founder stepped back, and the team stepped up.
The Payoff of Empowered Teams
When your team operates with autonomy and accountability, you free yourself to focus on strategy and growth instead of firefighting.
Here’s the simple truth:
If your team can make decisions, improve processes, and adapt without relying on you, everything scales. Clients get better outcomes, you stop being the bottleneck, and your agency becomes a high-performing, self-sustaining machine.
About what we do
At?Big Growth Group?we help agency owners build high-profit and self-sufficient agency businesses so they can step away from daily operations and focus on strategic growth.
We’re not just consultants who leave you with a list of ideas. We’re also Growth Operators who get in the trenches and work alongside you to deliver real, measurable results.
Are you an agency founder? Want to break free from operations and scale past $1M more easily and strategically?
Apply for Strategy Consultation here.
Case studies: https://www.biggrowthgroup.com/case-studies
Testimonials: https://www.biggrowthgroup.com/testimonials
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?? Project Management Consultant | Asana Ambassador | ClickUp Expert | Workflow Automation Specialist | Helping Teams Optimize & Scale
1 个月Nice one and it is actually one of the main problems that companies are facing. When I was at the head of my company I was facing the same issue. Well done on this article, it will help a lot of leaders ?? ??
From Market Noise to Market Voice | Helping Busy Leaders Stand Out | Elder Millennial
1 个月Your newsletters are always bangers.