Introduction
“Every dysfunction you ignore at the top will scale at the bottom.”
I’ve worked with a lot of execs — smart, driven, values-aligned people who care deeply about their teams. And still, I’ve watched their companies slide into patterns of misalignment, chaos, or quiet resentment.
Not because anyone was toxic.
But because no one realized how quickly dysfunction scales.
The missed one-on-ones. The conflict nobody talks about. The silent meetings where people smile and nod, then go complain in private.
The founder who wants everyone to take ownership — but can’t stop doing it all themselves.
It doesn’t start with bad intent.
But it does create bad systems.
Here’s the hard truth:
If you don’t fix it when it’s small, you’ll scale it by default.
And when dysfunction scales, it becomes your culture — whether you meant for it to or not.
But the good news?
If you accidentally scaled it, you can intentionally unscale it.
Let’s break it down.
What Is Scaled Dysfunction?
Scaled dysfunction is what happens when an unaddressed leadership habit becomes part of how the company operates — silently, consistently, and often invisibly.
It’s not just one mistake or a “bad hire.”
It’s when messy behaviors get baked into:
- How people communicate
- How decisions get made (or not)
- How trust gets built or broken
- How speed, blame, silence, or praise are handled
It’s the chaos that creeps in and becomes “just how we do things around here.”
And it almost always starts at the top.
Common Ways Leaders Accidentally Scale Chaos
This list? I’ve lived some of it myself:
- Always reacting, never reflecting. When everything feels urgent, your team never feels grounded.
- Avoiding conflict. When you don’t name issues, they get louder behind the scenes.
- Being inconsistent with feedback or standards. Some teams get coaching, others get ghosted.
- Over-rewarding results over process. Your “rockstars” burn out or create fear-based performance.
- Lack of documentation. Everything depends on memory, vibes, or chasing the person with the answer.
None of this is about being a bad leader.
It’s about being an unaware one.
Why Good Intentions Aren’t Enough
Let’s get this out of the way: meaning well is not the same as leading well.
- “I didn’t mean to make people feel excluded.”
- “I thought they knew I supported them.”
- “That wasn’t what I intended at all.”
I’ve heard them all. I’ve said them all.
But culture doesn’t form from your intentions — it forms from your patterns.
Your habits. Your micro-decisions. Your silences.
What you repeat, your team remembers.
What you allow, your culture absorbs.
And what you model, your org scales — fast.
How to Recognize Dysfunction in the Mirror
Want to know if you’ve scaled dysfunction? Start here:
- You feel like you’re always firefighting — not designing.
- People hesitate to disagree with you.
- New hires can’t explain how decisions get made — because no one can.
- The same issues pop up, quarter after quarter.
- You want to delegate, but it feels faster to just do it yourself.
Sound familiar?
That’s not failure. That’s friction.
And friction means something’s trying to get your attention.
How to Unwind Scaled Dysfunction
You don’t fix this with a new slide deck or all-hands speech. You fix it with presence, patterns, and process.
Here’s how to start:
1. Slow down.
Create white space to see the patterns. You can’t fix what you’re rushing past.
2. Name the dysfunction.
Say the thing out loud. “We’ve started rewarding speed over clarity — and it’s costing us alignment.” That honesty builds trust.
3. Redesign with intention.
Build systems that reinforce the behavior you actually want.
Write the SOP. Set the cadence. Define what “done right” looks like.
4. Invite your team in.
Ask, “What’s one thing we’re doing that isn’t serving us anymore?” Let them speak. Then let them help lead the shift.
5. Make values visible.
Values shouldn’t just be words. Turn them into operational rules.
If you value ownership — define it. Teach it. Reward it.
Designing Systems That Heal, Not Repeat
Here’s what I recommend when you’re ready to build better:
- Document your way of thinking, not just tasks. Don’t just write the “how.” Teach the “why.”
- Bake values into your performance process. Make “how we behave” part of “how we grow.”
- Normalize feedback loops. Feedback shouldn’t only come when something’s broken. Make it a muscle.
- Build rituals that realign. Weekly wins. Retrospectives. Skip-levels. Whatever fits your org — just make reflection the norm.
You’re not just building process. You’re building culture on purpose.
Conclusion
Dysfunction doesn’t make you a bad leader.
But ignoring it does make you a passive one.
The moment you become aware of what you’ve been accidentally scaling? That’s your moment of power.
That’s your chance to turn the tide.
So pause. Reflect. Apologize if needed.
And then rebuild — one decision, one habit, one message at a time.
Because you don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to be willing to reset.
