Signs of Organizations In Decline

We’ve all heard stories about frogs being dumped in boiling water, and jumping right out and saving themselves, while frogs dumped in lukewarm water that is turned up slowly don’t notice the change in temperature until it’s too late. By the time they realize they’re in boiling water, they are too weak to jump out, and they cook to death. Whether this is true or an urban legend, this is a great analogy for a number of organizations that started off strong, but somehow lost their footing, going headlong into a state of decline. The sad part is, if you talk to the organizational leaders, they may not even realize they are in a state of decline until significant damage is done. They often mistake “busyness” and activity for momentum and impact. Sometimes they recover, and sometimes they don’t.

There are many reasons organizations lose momentum along the way, including lack of a shared vision, lack of capacity, and the list goes on. Regardless of the reasons, all roads lead to leadership challenges. Outlined below is a list of some common symptoms of organizations in decline.

Deviation from core values.

We’ve all been a part of organizations that have a set of core values on display in their offices, on their websites, etcetera. That is wonderful. However, core values are only as good as the willingness of the organization to adhere to…