When “improvements” hinder business: why cosmetic fixes don’t replace a reboot
You add a new KPI. You launch a sales training. You hire a coach for the team. You change the CRM. Yet the business still stalls. It becomes noisier, more complex – but not faster or stronger.
This is familiar to anyone who has tried to “fix” a business.
The paradox is that most improvements do not solve the root problem. They create an illusion of motion: activity appears, new initiatives launch, and the impression of transformation emerges. But the result is either minimal or disappears into the “noise,” and you fail to notice the wear and tear on the system running at high revolutions.
It is precisely in those moments that a company needs not improvement, but a reboot.
In most organizations, “improvements” are understood as:
– launching additional processes
– changing roles and reporting lines
– “motivational” initiatives for the team
– bringing in trainers, speakers, advisors
These measures are not inherently bad. However, they do not alter the foundation: business logic, team architecture, contradictions in motivation systems, quality, or growth.
It is like painting walls in a house whose foundation beam has sagged.
Beautiful? Perhaps. But cracks will reappear.
Often, “improvements” are launched because:
– it is simpler – cheaper, faster, clearer
– Management does not want to admit a systemic mistake
– appearance matters more than internal stability (especially under pressure from investors or stakeholders)
However, if the foundation is corroded, changing the sign is pointless.
A reboot is not an upgrade. It is a return to the “zero point” of the system: where it breaks, what prevents its development, and which internal rules no longer function.
Here are the key distinctions:
1. Reboot = rejection of former assumptions
A company asks itself uncomfortable questions:
– Does this structure even suit us?
– If we rebuilt the business from scratch, would we do it the same way?
– Which three actions do we continue doing only because we fear stopping?
2. Reboot changes the core, not decor
This might mean:
– changing the revenue model
– restructuring roles and responsibilities
– a full shift of focus (for example, from scale to margin)
3. Reboot is painful
Because it often means someone loses power, familiar tools, and a sense of control. Reboot always involves instability. That is why many avoid it until it is too late.
If at least two of these symptoms are present, it is time not to improve, but to reboot:
– The team is overloaded, yet results don’t grow
– Metrics exist, but they do not reveal the real picture
– New initiatives quickly “drown” – the team can’t absorb them
– Conflicts between departments are systemic
– Focus is lost: nobody clearly knows the priority
– Competitors achieve more with fewer resources
A reboot is not a chaotic revolution. It is a deliberate process in which one must move from observation to action, from symptoms toward architecture.
Here is the structure I use with teams:
1. Diagnosis of reality
Where does the business truly earn, and where does it merely “move”?
Who in the team carries real weight, and who creates an illusion of contribution?
Where are the most frequent overheating points and failures?
Often, at this stage, it becomes clear that 20–30% of current processes can be stopped, and the company will only improve.
2. Revealing hidden rules
Any system lives not by presentations, but by unspoken rules.
– In this company, nobody challenges the commercial director
– First, we make it beautiful, then we think about the client
– The main thing is not to make mistakes, not to produce results
Such rules uphold structure, but hinder growth. They must be exposed and consciously changed.
3. Repackaging key blocks
What is reexamined:
– Roles: who is responsible for what, where zones of influence begin and end
– Flows: where clients come from, how the path runs, where the bottlenecks lie
– Values: on what we now rely when making decisions
4. Prototyping and testing
You don’t need to rebuild everything at once. Choose one block (for example, a department or product) and launch it in a “new mode.”
This allows you to:
– test the hypothesis
– adapt without shock
– gain a working case for scaling
Even the best ideas fail if a reboot is launched with systemic errors. Here are the key risks:
1. Beginning with a beautiful presentation
When the first step is to build slides and declare, “We will do it differently now,” it looks good, but it does not change the system.
Right approach – begin with deep silence: diagnosis and observation.
2. Betting on motivational slogans
“All will succeed!”
“We need energy!”
“Let’s turn on the drive!”
These may inspire for a day or two. After that, the system “overfeeds” people, as before.
The right approach is to work with mechanisms, not emotions. Motivation arises where the system works.
3. Trying to change everything at once
That kills resources and invites sabotage.
Right approach – act by the principle of prototyping: one block – one change – one result.
4. Ignoring signs of resistance
Resistance is not malice; it is a signal. The system defends itself against interference.
The right approach is to listen to where resistance exists and understand which function the old method served.
Questions for selfdiagnosis: Do you truly need a reboot?
– Are there processes in your company that no one can clearly explain why they exist?
– Has the team ever followed an “instruction,” yet delivered unsatisfactory results?
– Do you often have to extinguish fires instead of working by plan?
– Are there conflicts between departments that drag on for months?
– Is more time spent on approvals than on execution?
– Have you implemented changes that didn’t take root, yet you continue them?
If at least three answers are “yes,” cosmetic fixes won’t rescue you. You need a reboot.
Checklist: Is your business ready for a reboot?
1. Has the decision been made not to mask problems, but to expose them?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not sure
2. Is one specific block/direction chosen to begin the reboot?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Planned
3. Does the team have resources and time for experimentation and adaptation?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Partially
4. Does the team understand that reboot is not a threat, but an opportunity?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not yet
5. Are you ready to hear the uncomfortable truth – and not defend?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Depends on context
If more than two items on the checklist are marked as “No” or “Not sure,” do not rush. First, build internal readiness. A reboot is not reorganization on paper; it is a new point of assembly for the entire system.
A reboot is not about motivation. It is about architecture.
If you change buttons but leave the old wiring in place, the system may catch fire.
If you rebuilt the logic, it can run even on old equipment.
Question for reflection:
Has your business ever rebooted? Or are you still doing cosmetic fixes?
Write – I will share what helps to walk this path without a breakdown.