You probably already have a “leadership team.” Most established businesses do.
You meet regularly, discuss the issues, and make decisions — yet somehow, growth feels stuck.
The same problems keep resurfacing, and the CEO still feels like the bottleneck.
Sound familiar?
It’s because many businesses have a group of leaders, but not a Leadership Team.
They’ve been given the title, but not the tools, structure, or authority to truly lead.
The Leadership Team Illusion
It’s easy to assume that assembling your best people in a room makes a leadership team. But a label doesn’t make it so.
In many of the organisations we work with at Orchard Coaching, the so-called leadership team exists — yet the business still depends heavily on the founder or CEO. The business isn’t evolving, innovation is sluggish, and the same challenges continue to circle back every quarter.
When we dig deeper, it often comes down to five critical gaps:
1. Authority – They’re expected to lead, but not empowered to
A leadership team can’t lead if the CEO still makes all the key decisions.
When decisions flow upward rather than outward, the team becomes cautious, reactive, and disengaged.
Empowerment isn’t about abdication — it’s about clarity. The CEO must clearly define which decisions the team can make, where they need input, and how accountability works. Without that, people will wait to be told, rather than take ownership.
2. Structure – They meet, but they’re not moving forward
Many leadership teams meet weekly or monthly — but those meetings lack focus and rhythm.
There’s no set agenda, no clear accountabilities, and no metrics driving the discussion.
Structure turns meetings from talkfests into performance engines.
A strong leadership rhythm includes:
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A consistent agenda that connects actions to strategy
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Clear ownership of each function or project
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Metrics that track progress, not just activity
Without this structure, leadership teams tend to drift into reporting or problem-sharing — not leading.
3. Trust and Connection – They work together, but don’t team together
Leadership is a human game. Without trust, teams operate defensively rather than collaboratively.
When leaders don’t connect at a personal level — when they don’t understand each other’s pressures, strengths, and blind spots — they can’t challenge or support each other productively.
Trust isn’t built through team lunches. It’s built through candour, consistency, and shared accountability. When leaders can hold each other to account respectfully, everything accelerates — decisions, innovation, and results.
4. Right Roles – Is every part of the business represented?
Many leadership teams grow organically. People are added because they’ve “been around longest” or “run a big part of the business.” But that doesn’t guarantee the right mix.
A functional leadership team needs to cover the major systems of the business — finance, people, operations, marketing, sales, client experience, and strategy.
If any of those areas don’t have a true owner at the table, you’ll keep missing critical insights and challenges. The team won’t be able to solve the business’ biggest problems because key perspectives are missing.
5. Right People in the Right Roles – Titles don’t equal capability
Finally, even if the roles are right, not everyone sitting in them might be.
Sometimes, individuals who excelled as doers struggle as leaders. Others might be brilliant specialists but lack the mindset or behaviours required for collaboration and growth.
Building a real leadership team sometimes means having difficult conversations about fit — and supporting people to either grow into the role or transition out with dignity.
Building a Leadership Team: The Path Forward
Turning a group of managers into a high-performing leadership team doesn’t happen by accident. It requires a deliberate process — one that aligns authority, structure, trust, and accountability around a shared vision.
Here’s the process we guide our clients through at Orchard Coaching:
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Assess where you are now.
Start with Orchard Coaching’s Leadership Maturity Assessment to get a clear picture of your team’s current capabilities, clarity, and alignment. -
Develop or revisit your vision, values, and purpose.
If your leaders don’t share the same destination or understand why it matters, alignment will always be fragile. -
Design the high-level structure.
Clarify roles, define your meeting rhythm, and agree on the key metrics that track success. -
Analyse the gap.
Compare where you are now with where you want to be — in culture, systems, capability, and outcomes. -
Develop a quarterly action plan.
Focus on 3–5 key priorities that will move the business and the leadership team forward. -
Set a weekly action plan.
Turn quarterly goals into concrete next steps. Ask: “What must we achieve this week to stay on track?” -
Use data and reflection to stay aligned.
Track your metrics, but also regularly check: Is our vision still fit for purpose? Leadership teams that keep both data and direction in focus build long-term momentum.
A Client Story: From Drama to Discipline to Growth
One of our clients — a complex organisation operating six different companies — came to us with a “leadership team” that was anything but.
They were talented individuals, but the group was fragmented, reactive, and overwhelmed. Meetings were dominated by operational firefighting. The founder still made most decisions. There was no rhythm, no trust, and no shared accountability.
- Over three years, we worked through this exact process.
- We established authority boundaries.
- We redefined the structure and meeting cadence.
- We built trust through honest conversations and clarified expectations.
- And we aligned the right people to the right roles.
The result?
Revenue grew from $4 million to over $12 million in three years. More importantly, the business became easier to run. The team began holding each other accountable — and supporting each other — rather than relying on the CEO to drive everything.
This leadership team now works cohesively across its six operating companies, serving global brands like Google and Red Bull as well as agile startups. The founder has moved from being the firefighter to the visionary — and the team leads with confidence.
Your Next Step
If your business has a group of leaders but not a Leadership Team, it’s time to pause and assess.
Ask yourself:
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Do they have the authority to truly lead?
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Is there structure, rhythm, and clarity in how they work?
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Do they trust and challenge each other?
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Are the right roles and right people in place?
When you build a genuine Leadership Team, growth accelerates — not because you’re doing more, but because you’re doing it together.
If you’d like to find out where your team sits today, start with Orchard Coaching’s Leadership Maturity Assessment — and take the first step toward creating a team that actually leads.