The Right Team for Growth—Do You Have It?
Maartje van Krieken
Triage & Master Business Chaos I Host The Business Emergency Room Podcast I International Keynote Speaker I Former International Oil- & Gas Executive I Disaster Management Specialist I Board Member
Hey Chaos Navigators,
Scaling a business isn’t just about growing revenue, landing bigger deals, or expanding into new markets. It’s also about having the right leadership team to keep the business moving forward.
But here’s the hard truth: The people who got you here may not be the ones who will get you to the next stage.
This is one of the most painful leadership challenges—because it means reassessing the team that helped build your success so far. And sometimes, it means making difficult decisions.
The Reality: Scaling Means Leadership Must Evolve
The numbers don’t lie.
What does this tell us? The leadership skills that helped launch and build the business aren’t always the same skills needed to scale and sustain it. And yet, many companies ignore the warning signs, waiting too long to make leadership changes—at the cost of business performance, execution speed, and long-term success.
How Do You Know It’s Time for a Leadership Change?
If you recognize these symptoms in your business, it may be time to reassess your leadership team:
? Decisions are constantly getting stuck—you see bottlenecks, slow execution, or unclear ownership.
? Scaling feels harder than it should—you face disproportionate resistance to change.
? You find yourself working around people—rather than trusting them to execute.
? Your best talent is leaving—high performers are frustrated or disengaged.
? Reactive behaviors dominate—leaders are only responding to problems, not anticipating them. Innovation stalls, excuses pile up, and strategic thinking is missing.
If any of these sound familiar, your leadership team may not be keeping up with your business.
How to Make the Right Leadership Moves Without Derailing Your Business
Let’s be clear: This isn’t about replacing people carelessly. Many of your current leaders have been critical to your success. But if your business has outgrown their capabilities—or if they resist adapting to what’s next—you need to take action.
Here’s how to approach leadership transitions strategically, effectively, and with minimal disruption:
1. Take the Emotion Out of It—Focus on the Skills You Need
The hardest part of this process? Separating loyalty from business needs.
Yes, your current leaders have contributed immensely. But holding onto people because of the past—instead of evaluating what the business needs now and in the future—is a dangerous trap.
What to do:
? Define the leadership skills your business needs for the next 12-24 months.
? Map your current leadership team against those required skills.
? Identify who has the ability to evolve and who may be better suited elsewhere.
If someone is no longer the right fit, the most respectful thing you can do is address it now, rather than letting them struggle (and hold the company back).
2. Don’t Drag Your Feet—Make the Tough Calls Quickly
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is waiting too long to take action. They worry about disrupting the team or hiring the wrong replacement.
Here’s the reality: Delaying the decision doesn’t make it easier—it makes the problem worse.
What to do:
? If a leadership gap is obvious, don’t waste months hoping it will fix itself.
? If performance isn’t improving, set a clear 60-90 day improvement plan. If they can’t meet the bar, move on.
? Communicate decisively—if someone is exiting, ensure the transition is quick and professional.
Think of it as ripping off the Band-Aid—short-term discomfort leads to long-term health for the business.
3. Bring in New Leadership Before You Phase Out the Old (If Possible)
The biggest risk of replacing key leaders is creating a leadership vacuum. If nobody is ready to step in, your business can stall at a critical moment.
What to do:
? Hire ahead of the transition whenever possible. Let new leaders work alongside existing ones before they exit.
? If you’re not sure what you need, hire an interim executive—someone overqualified who can keep things moving while you search for the right long-term hire.
? Implement succession planning—make sure institutional knowledge isn’t lost when someone leaves.
Even if you can’t bring in their replacement immediately, start delegating key responsibilities to others on the team before they exit.
4. Get Specialist Help—The Right Hire Is Worth It
Bad hiring decisions are expensive. And yet, many companies go it alone when hiring senior leaders—relying on gut instinct instead of expert support.
What to do:
? Work with specialist recruiters who understand scaling businesses and VUCA environments.
? If hiring takes time, consider interim executives to keep momentum going.
? Be brutal about cultural fit—even the most experienced hire won’t succeed if they don’t match your company’s pace and mindset.
The cost of hiring the wrong person? 6-12 months of lost progress. Investing in getting it right from the start is always worth it.
5. Set the Bar and Hold to It—Don’t Let History Repeat Itself
Even after making leadership changes, there’s a risk of slipping back into old patterns—where underperformance drags on too long before action is taken.
What to do:
? Set clear leadership performance metrics—define what success looks like for each key role.
? Commit to addressing leadership gaps proactively, rather than waiting until it’s critical. ? Build a leadership succession strategy so you’re never caught off guard again.
Scaling a business means constantly raising the bar—not just for your team, but for yourself as a leader.
Final Thoughts: This Is How Businesses Stay Strong and Scale Successfully
Leadership transitions are hard. They involve difficult conversations, emotional ties, and high stakes. But avoiding the issue is worse.
If your company has outgrown key leaders—or if they’re struggling to adapt to where you’re headed—the sooner you take action, the better the outcome.
What’s next? If you’re struggling with leadership gaps, misalignment, or slow execution, let’s talk. Book a call to assess your key leadership team and plan for the next stage of growth here: https://calendly.com/de_maartje/linkedin-connect.
??? Check out some of my latest podcast episodes on leadership transitions, hiring strategies, and scaling in chaotic environments.
Ep32 - Growing Pains: The Leadership Shift from Doing to Delegating with Jennifer Cresswell
Ep30 - Scaling Without Chaos: Strategies for the Entrepreneur to CEO Transition with Lynne Roe
On YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and all other platforms.
Let’s make sure your business isn’t stuck in the past—when it should be accelerating into the future.
Season 2 of my The Business Emergency Room Podcast is now Live AND now also available on Youtube so you can watch me make all the faces. Would love some feedback on these episodes and the upgrades we made to the show.
Listen, Like, Subscribe and more here: https://www.thebusinessemergencyroom.com/
?? Need help structuring your leadership team for growth? Reach out today.
[email protected] or call +18335522467
About Maartje
Maartje Jorritsma van Krieken is a distinguished expert in project, change, and crisis management, with a rich career in the oil and gas industry, largely in major frontier projects around the world. Her achievements include saving billions through the transformation of a global hub and navigating complex projects under high pressure. As a mother of three, she's navigated the male-dominated field with expertise and empathy, mastering leadership and strategic planning across diverse teams.
Since 2019, Maartje has been an executive consultant and coach, aiding organizations and entrepreneurs in overcoming crises and achieving major turnarounds. Her notable work includes aiding the national crisis line 211 during the Covid-19 pandemic and rescuing a hydrogen fuel cell start-up. In New Orleans, she owns and runs the Shrunk 3D Franchise, serves as a board member for various companies and non-profits and is an active mentor in Tulane University’s Innovation Institute and Loyola University's Women’s Leadership Academy.
Maartje holds a MSc in Industrial Design Engineering from the Technical University in Delft, with further accreditations in coaching, supply chain management, HR, Strategic Risk Management & Decision Quality and Diversity and Inclusion. Her keynotes, known for their authenticity and practical wisdom, offer insights into navigating chaos with adaptability and resilience. Maartje's leadership style, characterized by infectious energy and clear communication, has made her a sought-after speaker and consultant, guiding teams and individuals through turbulence towards growth and success.
Book a Call Today: https://calendly.com/de_maartje/linkedin-connect
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Helping business owners create legacies through business sustainability and succession planning | Founder & Principal at Thoughtgro | Fractional Integrator | Business Growth Strategist | Speaker | Leadership Coach
6 天前Just as we go through stages of growth in our lives, our businesses also go through stages of growth. Recognizing that you need to make a changes in your team can be hard and downright scary when that change might be you or some of your leaders. As Maartje van Krieken states, this is NORMAL. But it's often not easy. Focusing on what the business needs and removing emotion is key initially, but you also need to give yourself the grace to process those emotions and be empathetic to others when making those final decisions.