Over the past week, I reviewed three organizational charts from large companies. And you know what stood out immediately? A glaring flaw that too many leaders still overlook.
In every single chart, the most senior leaders—yes, the CEOs and VPs—had fewer direct reports than the managers below them. One CEO of a construction company had just six direct reports. Logical, right? After all, they’re directing the company. But then, each successive layer had more and more people reporting to them… until it reached the team leader level—where some were responsible for 25 people each.
Let that sink in. Twenty-five.
So, naturally, I asked the CEO why she only had six. Her response? “That’s as many as I feel I can manage effectively—help them grow, perform, and succeed.”
She said it with a straight face. No irony, no second-guessing.
I laughed—because it was absurd.
I had to ask, “If you can only effectively manage six people, what makes you think your team leaders are magically equipped to manage 25?”
Her reply? “It’s more complicated to manage a VP than a front-line employee.”
Really?
Let’s break that down. Your most seasoned executives apparently need more nurturing, guidance, and management than the very people serving your customers and directly impacting your revenue?
That’s where the system is broken.
Let’s be clear: If you, as a CEO, see nothing wrong with this imbalance—you are the problem. You are creating an environment that sets your frontline leaders up for burnout and failure. And you’re producing C-level performance from people who could have been A-players—if only they were led properly.
Leadership is not about sitting comfortably at the top with a nice, manageable portfolio while dumping unrealistic expectations on the layers below. If you can’t scale leadership effectively, don’t be surprised when performance tanks.
So, do better. Re-evaluate your org chart. Re-equip your team. Re-lead your business.
Because at the end of the day, the culture, performance, and success of your organization starts with you.