Last week, I was sitting opposite a managing director.

Last week, I was sitting opposite a managing director.

Almost in passing, he said: We have just appointed a new COO and a new CTO.

I nodded. Inside, I thought: That is not a passing detail.

When two central roles are filled at the same time, it is almost never strategy.

It is a signal — the organisation senses something, but has no diagnosis yet.

I work with a framework of 7 early indicators of a structural crisis during growth.

This is indicator No. 6. Out of seven.

What it means:

The leadership team has absorbed structural tensions for months — until it could no longer do so.

The seats are refilled. The tension remains.

I asked the managing director one question:

Was this the first or the second appointment in this combination?

He thought briefly. Then: The second.

At that moment, it was clear: This is not an HR issue. It is a structural issue.

Organisations try to solve structural problems

with personnel decisions.

80% of companies start the executive search only 3–6 months after a C-level executive leaves.

Too late for real stability — the structural tension remains as long as the cause goes undiagnosed.

#Leadership #StructuralCrisis