Ever feel like you’re constantly catching projects that were meant to be out the door, only to return for you to fix what went wrong? It’s frustrating but common – especially when speed overshadows quality or when the wrong hires are made.
An Engineering Director I worked with faced this boomerang effect. He was technically brilliant and an empowering leader, but as his team grew, cracks started to show.
Projects were slipping, quality was declining, and he was spending more time firefighting than leading or focusing on strategy.
What went wrong?
- Hiring in haste: In the rush to scale, he overlooked thorough interviews, skills assessments and reference checks. Some hires lacked the competence and attitude needed to thrive, which snowballed into costly errors.
- Setting low expectations: A self-proclaimed people-pleaser, he wanted everyone to like him, so he avoided tough conversations. High expectations were left unsaid, and feedback was sugar-coated. The result? His team didn’t feel challenged or motivated.
- Lack of systems and structure: Without clear workflows and leadership oversight, projects lacked consistency and teams wasted time fixing preventable errors, impacting morale.
How to stop the boomerang effect
To prevent projects circling back, focus on building a solid foundation:
- Get clear on your niche
- Audit your workload: Are you chasing low-value, high friction work? Refine your focus.
- Say no more often: Remove the noise from mismatched projects or clients. The more focused your business is, the better your processes, hiring and project outcomes will be.
- Hire with precision
- Don’t DIY everything: If you’re stuck in the weeds, consider whether you need a VA, technical specialist or project coordinator to free up your time for high-level work.
- Assess skills: Go beyond surface-level interviews – conduct technical skills tests to ensure they can do the job.
- Complete reference checks: Every data point in the hiring process matters so speak to people who know the candidate to get a more complete picture.
- Evaluate cultural fit: Hire people who align with your team’s values and energy, who are passionate about their work and who are team players.
- Set expectations that stick
- Be clear: Define expectations at the outset of projects – be specific about what success looks like, and what support is available.
- Give feedback: Honest feedback isn’t cruelty; it’s clarity. Your team will respect you for it.
- Implement robust systems and workflows
- Standardised processes: Create workflows, checklists and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for key tasks, from design to delivery, to ensure consistency, reduce errors, and make onboarding smoother.
- Use tools: Leverage project management tools to track progress, ensure accountability and identify potential issues early.
- Strengthen your leadership structure
- Introduce layers of leadership: Add a layer of senior leaders who can monitor progress, mentor junior staff, and report on project health. When you empower others to handle operations, you free up your time to focus on strategy.
- Foster commitment
- Strengthen relationships: Get to know your team’s strengths, motivations and needs, and align work with expertise and growth goals – not just availability.
- Offer recognition: Connect your team’s contribution to a larger purpose and celebrate progress to help your team see their impact.
The result?
By putting these foundations in place, the Engineering Director transformed his team’s productivity and quality, reduced stress, regained focus, and improved reputation and customer satisfaction.
Action steps
- Refine your focus: Are you prioritising projects that align with your strengths and business goals, or are misaligned opportunities creating unnecessary complexity?
- Hire wisely: Is your hiring process rigorous enough to filter for both skill and cultural fit?
- Clarify expectations: Does your team know what success looks like in their roles and at each project stage?
- Strengthen systems: Are workflows, SOPs and leadership structures in place to prevent recurring issues?
- Foster commitment: Are you recognising contributions and aligning work with team strengths and motivations?
Remember, leading isn’t just about being nice – it’s about being real. Balance compassion with clarity and commitment. Get the right systems, the right hires, the right expectations, and the right structure in place. When you avoid the pitfalls of rapid growth and put these foundations in place, the boomerangs stop. And that’s when your team can soar.
