The Olympic Winter Games have started. And while the world watches medals, records, and milliseconds, I see something else.
I see leadership under pressure.
Because what you see happening there, I see every week in the boardrooms of scale-ups and growth companies.
Not everyone who is good wins.
Not everyone who works hard holds up.
And not everyone who has talent can handle what the next level demands.
At the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics you see it play out ruthlessly: at the highest level, you’re not judged on potential, but on moments.
The same goes for CEOs.
What I see in growth phases
What I hear a lot:
- “My team isn’t stepping up.”
- “There’s not enough ownership.”
- “Everything moves too slowly.”
What I see: a leader who has grown along with the company up to this point — but not beyond it.
That’s not failure. That’s a transition. And that’s exactly what happens in elite sport. What got you here is not what gets you there.
More training won’t help. More control won’t either. More meetings certainly won’t.
What is needed
The difference between participating and performing comes down to four things:
- Make sharper choices. Fewer priorities, more focus.
- Take decisions that create tension. Don’t move away from discomfort — move through it.
- Stop rescuing. As long as you’re the one solving it, no one else has to.
- Be consistent. Even when it gets uncomfortable. Especially then.
The shift that makes the difference
This is the shift I see CEOs go through at this stage:
- From carrying everything yourself → allowing space to emerge
- From seeking consensus → providing direction
- From moving fast → making mature decisions
Not glamorous, but decisive.
The real question
So the real question is not: “What is my team doing wrong?”
But: what kind of leadership does this phase demand of me?
And perhaps even sharper: what decision am I postponing because I know it will create tension?
Does this resonate?
These are the kinds of questions I discuss with CEOs and business owners who feel their organisation is growing faster
than their leadership naturally keeps up with. Not because they can’t do it. But because this is not a journey you have to make alone.
Feel free to get in touch. To explore together what your team and you need in this phase to reach your gold.
