What if the biggest bottleneck in your company is you?

In this episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners, tackles the unintentional bottlenecks CEOs create as they push their companies toward growth. When CEOs are caught in a whirlwind of activity, it's easy to get caught up in the instinct to do more, often leading to chaos rather than progress. Chris discusses how, rather than increasing activity, CEOs should step back, assess the situation, and engage their teams in honest conversations to uncover the root causes of bottlenecks.

Drawing on his extensive experience with high-growth companies, Chris emphasizes the importance of slowing down and pausing strategically to gain clarity. This approach, far from being a sign of weakness, helps CEOs regain control, align their teams, and focus on what really matters.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why CEOs must resist the urge to "do more" and embrace strategic pauses
How slowing down helps identify the true bottlenecks in your business
The importance of aligning your executive team to solve problems efficiently

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Introduction and unintentional bottlenecks (01:30) The shiny object problem and CEO overactivity(02:30) How priorities shift and disrupt product roadmaps(03:45) The partnership trap and misaligned incentives(05:15) Evaluating partner ROI and avoiding false opportunities(06:50) Why more activity creates more problems(08:00) The tactical pause and diagnosing funnel issues(10:00) Why executive teams feel the impact of constant change(12:30) The CEO pedestal and the challenge of hearing the truth(15:00) 360 feedback and identifying real team vs. leadership issues(18:30) Resetting with your team and board to drive next-stage growth