Your business is bleeding money. And you don’t even know it.
Think you’ve got your operations dialed in? Think again. While you’re obsessing over market share and revenue targets, internal friction is quietly strangling your growth potential: and it’s happening in plain sight.
Here’s what’s really happening: 78% of executive teams report feeling “stuck” despite having solid strategies and talented people. The culprit? Five invisible friction points that transform high-performing organizations into energy vampires.
You’re not broken. You’re at opportunity.
The Hidden Cost of Business Friction
Let me be direct. Your ignored friction quietly trains your business to be harder than necessary. What you tolerate becomes your operating standard.
→ Decision paralysis costs companies an average of $3.1 million annually in lost productivity
→ Role confusion increases project timelines by 40%
→ Unclear expectations drive 67% of workplace conflict
→ Energy drains reduce executive effectiveness by up to 50%
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about unmasking the bottlenecks that are keeping your talented team trapped in operational quicksand.
Framework Overview: The 5 Friction Fixes
At People Risk Consulting, we’ve identified exactly where high-growth companies get stuck. Not in strategy. Not in talent. In the spaces between decisions, roles, and expectations.
Here’s your breakthrough framework:
Step 1: Decision Friction → Default Decision Rules
Step 2: Role Friction → Outcome Naming
Step 3: Expectation Friction → Write Once, Say Twice
Step 4: Energy Friction → Drain Identification
Step 5: Momentum Friction → Feedback Loop Creation
Remember: Drag is feedback, not failure. These friction points are signaling exactly where your attention needs to go.
Step 1: Eliminate Decision Friction
The Problem: Your leadership team is drowning in micro-decisions.
Every “quick question” pulls focus. Every approval request creates delays. Your executives spend 40% of their time on decisions that should be automatic.
The Fix: Create default decision rules.
Stop re-deciding the same things repeatedly. Make rules for yourself.
Practical Implementation:
• Hiring decisions: Pre-define non-negotiables vs. nice-to-haves
• Budget approvals: Set clear thresholds and delegation levels
• Meeting requests: Establish standard criteria for yes/no
• Priority conflicts: Create decision trees for resource allocation
Real Talk: If you’re still personally approving expense reports under $500, you’re not leading: you’re micromanaging.
Step 2: Resolve Role Friction
The Problem: It’s unclear who needs to do what.
This isn’t just about job descriptions. Role friction happens when talented people waste energy figuring out who owns what outcome instead of delivering results. Our company CEO Dr. Diane Dye puts it like this, “people have to know what game they are playing, how it’s scored, what tools to use, and what winning looks like. Otherwise its like handing someone a basketball and saying go play baseball and go figure that out.”
The Fix: Name your outcomes clearly.
Stop defining roles by activities. Start defining roles by outcomes.
Outcome Naming Formula:
- Who is accountable for the result?
- What specific outcome are they delivering?
- When will success be measured?
- How will we know they’ve succeeded?
Example Transformation:
- Before: “Sarah handles marketing”
- After: “Sarah owns quarterly lead generation targets (500 qualified leads/quarter) and brand positioning initiatives”
You’re not creating bureaucracy. You’re creating clarity that unleashes performance.
Step 3: Fix Expectation Friction
The Problem: Assumptions live in the shadows.
When expectations remain unspoken, misalignment creates drag. Teams work hard in different directions. Good intentions produce bad results.
The Fix: Write it once, say it twice.
Document expectations visibly. Then communicate them clearly. Repetition without rigidity.
The Write Once, Say Twice Method:
Write Once:
• Document project expectations in shared spaces
• Create visible dashboards for key metrics
• Establish written protocols for recurring situations
Say Twice:
• Verbal confirmation in team meetings
• One-on-one alignment conversations
• Regular check-ins on shared understanding
Critical Insight: You think you’re being clear. Your team thinks you’re being vague. Bridge that gap intentionally.
Step 4: Address Energy Friction
The Problem: Certain activities drain disproportionate energy.
Not all tasks are created equal. Some activities energize your team. Others create invisible exhaustion that compounds over time. Energy friction is performance poison.
The Fix: Identify and eliminate energy drains.
Energy Audit Process:
- Track energy levels: Monitor team engagement across different activities
- Identify patterns: What consistently drains vs. energizes?
- Redesign workflows: Minimize drains, maximize energizers
- Delegate strategically: Move drains to people who find them energizing
Common Energy Drains:
• Repetitive manual processes → Automate or systematize
• Unclear communication channels → Streamline information flow
• Misaligned skill-to-task matching → Reorganize responsibilities
• Constant context switching → Create focused work blocks
Remember: Your best people will leave energy-draining environments before they’ll complain about them.
Step 5: Create Momentum Through Feedback Loops
The Problem: Friction accumulates without detection systems.
Most organizations only notice friction when it becomes crisis. By then, the damage is done. You need early warning systems.
The Fix: Build systematic feedback loops.
Momentum Monitoring System:
Weekly Pulse Checks:
• What felt effortless this week?
• Where did we hit unexpected friction?
• What decisions took longer than necessary?
Monthly Friction Audits:
• Review decision-making patterns
• Assess role clarity across teams
• Evaluate energy levels and engagement
Quarterly Framework Reviews:
• Update default decision rules
• Refine outcome definitions
• Streamline communication protocols
The 72-Hour Rule: When friction emerges, address it within 72 hours. Don’t let it become your new normal.
Implementation: Your Next 30 Days
Stop waiting for perfect conditions. Start experimenting immediately.
Week 1: Decision Friction Audit
- List your 20 most frequent decisions
- Create default rules for top 10
- Test with leadership team
Week 2: Role Friction Assessment
- Map unclear outcome ownership
- Redefine top 5 critical roles by outcomes
- Communicate changes clearly
Week 3: Expectation Documentation
- Identify top 3 assumption-heavy areas
- Implement “write once, say twice” protocol
- Create visible expectation dashboards
Week 4: Energy and Momentum Setup
- Conduct team energy audit
- Establish weekly pulse check rhythm
- Plan monthly friction review process
The Breakthrough Moment
Here’s what happens when you systematically eliminate friction: Your talented people finally perform at their actual capacity.
Companies using this framework report 35% faster decision-making, 50% clearer role execution, and 60% reduction in internal conflict within 90 days.
You don’t need more strategy. You don’t need more talent. You need less friction.
The question isn’t whether you have friction. The question is whether you’ll address it before it addresses your growth targets for you.
Your breakthrough is waiting on the other side of this framework. Stop tolerating what’s stealing your momentum.
Ready to eliminate the friction that’s keeping your team stuck? Join me live for the Brave Business Masterclass and Podcast from People Risk Consulting. Watch the livestream passively, or register to be in the interactive studio audience with your peer cohort. Register now — seats are limited.
Because your growth can’t wait for someday. It’s waiting for today.
