The 3 Thoughts That Are Sabotaging Your Company

The 3 Thoughts That Are Sabotaging Your Company (and How to 🎯Fix Them Before They Infect Your Team)

"A leader’s mind is the first ground that must be cultivated. Everything else is just a consequence."

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[Scene: Two CEOs sitting in a quiet coffee shop after a tough week.]

— “You know what worries me more than sales, Andrés?” Marcos asked, stirring his coffee absentmindedly.

— “What is it, brother? Inflation? The new competitor?” Andrés replied, raising an eyebrow.

— “No. What worries me is what I start thinking when things don’t go the way I want.”

Andrés put his phone aside. This was serious.

— “What kind of thoughts?”

— “That it’s no longer worth it. That if I want something done right, I have to do it myself. Or worse… that my team should just know what I want without me saying it.”

Andrés nodded slowly.
In that moment, he understood:
The biggest threats to a business aren’t always external.
Sometimes, they’re inside.

🚩 Thought #1: "It's no longer worth it"

The conflict it generates:
When a CEO loses faith, the team senses it—even if it’s never spoken aloud. It shows in the tone of voice, in the way meetings feel heavier, in the lack of clear direction. Soon, the team loses its sense of purpose too.

— “When I start doubting,” Marcos admitted, “my people start moving as if we’re waiting for an inevitable end.”

Practical resolution:

Accept that low cycles are normal. They don’t invalidate your vision.
Be honest about the challenges, but also about the plan to overcome them.
Define small, short-term wins to keep morale high.

Remember that:

“A company lives or dies on the strength of its shared hope.”

🚩Thought #2: "If I want it done right, I have to do it myself"

The conflict it generates:
When the CEO becomes the only “hero,” the team feels useless, controlled, or afraid to make mistakes. Creativity, commitment, and initiative all start to die quietly.

— “There was a point,” Andrés admitted, “when my team stopped thinking. They just executed. I had unintentionally trained them to do that.”

Practical resolution:

Make delegation a conscious habit, not a desperate action.
Accept that imperfection is part of your team’s growth.
Create safe spaces for them to fail, learn, and propose new ideas.

Remember:

“When you control everything, you’re not leading—you’re limiting your company’s future.”

🚩 Thought #3: "My team should just know without me saying it"

The conflict it generates:
Lack of clear communication creates confusion, false assumptions, and silent resentment. Each team member ends up “guessing” what they think is right—and chaos quietly grows.

— “I used to think saying it once was enough,” Marcos confessed, “until I realized half my team was working toward completely different goals.”

Practical resolution:

Define expectations in writing and make them public (not just mentioned in private conversations).
Repeat critical messages through different formats (visual, verbal, practical).
Encourage feedback to ensure that the message was understood exactly as intended.

Remember:

“A leader doesn’t just speak. A leader ensures his words take root.”

✨ Final Reflection

Great failures don’t begin with big actions.
They start with small tolerated thoughts.

Today, you have two options:

Ignore those thoughts and let them quietly infect your company’s culture.
Attack them at the root, like a gardener protecting his best seeds.

“You know what, Andrés?” —Marcos said as they paid the bill—.
“This week, before I check any balance sheets, I’m going to check my own thoughts. Because they’re the first management report I should be reading.”

Andrés smiled knowingly.

— “Brother, that’s how real leadership starts. That’s how everything changes.”