What doesn’t grow, guides

Even the best of us face this. You have a clear plan: a new product, a service perfect for your audience, a fresh marketing campaign. You put in time, money, energy. And then… nothing happens. No excitement, no response, no growth where you expected it.

At the same time, you notice something else: customers keep asking the same questions. Employees start drifting away from the internal plan. And out of nowhere, interest pops up from a completely different direction. What’s going on?

Growth doesn’t follow a plan

We like to think in straight lines: I want C, so I do A, then B. But organizations and ecosystems aren’t machines. They’re living systems where everything is connected. That means you can’t just press one button without causing a reaction somewhere else.

For example, you want more customers, so you invest in visibility. But instead of a flood of new requests, you mostly get feedback about how unfriendly your help desk is. Maybe that’s where the real growth is now.

What does the system want?

Looking systemically means staying open to what wants to happen. Even if it’s different from your plan.

• What moves on its own?

• What keeps getting stuck no matter what you do?

• What keeps repeating even if you try to ignore it?
  

Your original plan might not be wrong. But the system you work in -your team, your customers, yourself- might have other priorities. If you learn to see and follow that deeper flow, you work with the natural growth, not against it.

A real example :

You want your organization to grow by launching a new tool. Everything is ready: demos, funnels, communication. But meanwhile, you notice employees keep clashing over unclear roles. They waste energy on confusion.

Maybe the message is: before we grow outward, we must fix things inside first.

What if you take these signs seriously?

Instead of pushing the launch, you focus on clearing up roles and improving communication for a while. The result? Less internal noise, more ownership and a stronger foundation for growth, including for your product.

Three simple tips to look at growth systemically

1. Look at the whole, not just the problem

When things get stuck, we rush to "fix it". Instead, ask:

• What does this symptom show?

• What else is happening around it?

• What patterns do I see?

Think connections, not isolated pieces.

2. Notice what repeats or is overblown

Important signals come from repetition or big reactions:

• Why does this keep hitting a nerve?

• Why does it happen again and again, even with attempts to change?

Usually, something old or unseen is at play.

3. Ask: what wants to grow or finish here?

Systemic thinking is also about listening:

• What wants to emerge?

• Where is the energy?

• Where is there movement without your push?

Be ready to adjust your direction based on what shows up naturally.

Conclusion

Systemic thinking isn’t an excuse to drop your goals. It’s an invitation to see the bigger picture. What fits. Where things want to flow.

And here’s the best part: if you move with the system, you’ll often find more is possible than you first thought. That makes leadership feel a lot more effortless too.

Want to explore how this could work for you and your system? Send me an email coaching@debbiebaute.com and let’s talk.

Picture by Linus Nylund on Unsplash