12 Signs the Wheels Are Falling Off Your Organization

A few weeks ago, my daughter, who is doing grad school in the south, called me and said, “The car is making a funny noise.” I never like hearing those words because they almost always end up costing me a lot of money! We agreed that she would bring the car to the mechanic, but before she could do so, something interesting happened. While driving home from class one day, the front left tire came off the car and flew across four lanes of traffic (gratefully not hitting anyone or anything)! Your first assumption is that the car must have recently had work done to it. But you would be incorrect. It had not been worked on in months. A mechanic told me he has seen it happen 17 times before. Slowly, with a little corrosion and perhaps not fully tightened months prior, the tire just works its way off!

Like her car, organizations sometimes have their proverbial tires come off. Wouldn’t it be great to know the warning signs in advance of it happening? Here are 12 warning signs that the wheels may be falling off your organization, and what you can do to either prevent it or limit the damage.

12 Signs the Wheels Are Falling Off Your Organization

1. Growing amount of cynicism and critique.

2. Culture of fear and sense of defeat among staff.

3. An unhealthy desire for growth and recognition.

4. Undiscussed and unaddressed issues among leadership.

5. Deepening decline of trust and credibility.

6. Vilifying those who disagree or ask questions.

7. Unhealthy level of contentment and aversion to taking risks.

8. Declining sales, attendance, and revenue.

9. Pervasive feelings that almost nothing is going right.

10. Coercive celebration and positivity.

11. Loss of talented people and difficulty recruiting new talent.

12. Heightened levels of toxicity and burnout. 

How to Prevent It and Limit the Damage

At any given time, most organizations have a moderate presence of at least a few of these issues. And if they tell you otherwise, they are guilty of #10 – fake positivity or organizational blindness! But there is a cumulative effect when a number of these show up and start to weigh down organizational lift and life. As a leader, there are actions you can take to ensure the tires stay tightly on your organization.

1. First, reflect on this list and your own health as a leader. Are there signs of a tire coming loose?

2. Second, create a safe space for your board and/or staff to discuss what is going well and where they have the greatest concern.

3. Third, there are times when you should consider getting an outside perspective to help you test your assumptions regarding the level of organizational health or unhealth. Things may be better than you fear or worse than you thought, and a neutral professional with experience in organizational and team assessment can add significant value.

Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant said, “Excellence is the product of high aspirations and low ego.” Each of us should be humble enough to take an honest look, have a candid conversation, and have the vision to say, “we can be even better.” 

Contact us to learn how our experienced consultants can offer an unbiased, outside perspective on how to advance the health of your team and organization.

Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.