When Strategy Stalls – Realigning the Executive Team After a Failed Expansion
The Problem
A regional financial services firm had embarked on an ambitious expansion into two new markets. The move was bold but poorly sequenced—market readiness was overestimated, internal capacity stretched too thin, and leadership cohesion began to fracture. Within nine months, revenue targets were missed, customer complaints spiked, and morale across the senior team plummeted. The CEO acknowledged the expansion had failed, but the deeper issue was internal: the executive team no longer trusted the plan—or each other.
Why It Mattered
Failed strategy isn't just about lost revenue—it erodes leadership confidence, board trust, and organisational momentum. When executive teams fragment, the business enters survival mode: decision-making slows, finger-pointing increases, and long-term priorities are abandoned for short-term fire-fighting. Without intervention, these moments become leadership fractures that echo for years, affecting talent retention, market positioning, and cultural health.
What We Did
We were brought in with a single mandate: get the leadership team back on the same page. The first step was a series of structured one-on-one conversations to uncover where trust had broken down. We then designed and facilitated a two-day executive reset offsite—not focused on the failed expansion, but on what must come next. We helped the team redefine the 18-month strategic horizon, clarify individual accountabilities, and re-establish shared norms around decision-making. We also worked with the CEO to recalibrate their leadership style for this new chapter—less push, more alignment.
The Results
In the following quarter, strategic execution regained traction. The team aligned behind a refined market focus and committed to a leaner, more accountable delivery model. Cross-functional projects that had stalled were restarted with clearer ownership and success metrics. The board observed renewed unity and decisiveness, and the CEO noted a 'palpable shift in tone' across leadership interactions. While the failed expansion remained a lesson, it no longer defined the organisation's future—realignment had reset the path forward.
If you're facing challenges with strategy execution or team alignment, we'd be happy to discuss how we can help.