There Aren’t Enough Band-Aids: Why Quick Fixes Are Slowing You Down

How many band-aids does it take to fix a business problem?

This is a trick question, and one most experienced leaders already know the answer to.

Still, every day I see well-intentioned teams apply quick fixes to long-term challenges. It’s common in the pre-rapid and rapid growth stages. When time is short and the stakes are high, doing something can feel better than doing nothing at all.

But here’s the reality: reactive decisions rarely resolve systemic issues. And the more we rely on temporary solutions to bridge the gap, the more likely we are to encounter breakdowns that are harder (and more expensive) to repair later.

In fact, 94.5% of organizations report annual revenue losses due to mismanaged operational inefficiencies. And in most cases, the inefficiencies didn’t start big. They started small: ignored, delayed, or smoothed over with short-term fixes.

Here are the areas where this shows up most often, and what might be driving the tendency to delay real correction.

Talent gaps

Leadership or skill gaps are showing but they’re being ignored or rationalized away. Budgets are tight, competency frameworks are fuzzy, and the future org chart is unclear.

So we “make it work” with the people we have.

This is one of the most common areas where I see teams stretch the short-term solution. We avoid naming what’s missing or realigning roles because it’s uncomfortable or unclear.

But questions like “Who do we have?” and “What are they missing?” are critical. I’d also add: “What strengths are we underutilizing?”

If the people in the seats aren’t aligned to the needs of the business, growth will stall; regardless of how well-intentioned everyone is.

Underperforming business units or products

Letting go is hard, especially when you’re invested. Whether it’s a long-standing program, a “pet project,” or an offering with sunk costs, the temptation is to tweak, reframe, or add more support rather than walk away.

But throwing more resources at something inherently misaligned only prolongs the pain.

Here’s what helps: setting a time-bound ROI expectation. If an initiative doesn’t meet it, we reevaluate. That objectivity can be the difference between a one-time loss and an ongoing drain.

Organizational structure

We tend to stay loyal to what we know - especially if the current structure has “worked” in the past. But what worked before may not be what’s needed now.

Often, the first impulse is to adjust a few job descriptions, shift responsibilities, or add more people to the mix. But that only postpones a larger restructuring that the business likely needs.

Organizations are living systems. If nothing is evolving, parts of it are likely decaying. Creating the space and alignment for future growth often means adjusting the structure - not just the headcount.

Systems and processes

Sometimes the process is outdated. Sometimes the system no longer serves. Sometimes both. In either case, it’s tempting to find short-term workarounds - manual solutions, duct-tape dashboards, or informal knowledge-sharing that fills the gap.

But over time, the costs compound: missed insights, wasted time, duplicated work, and decisions made without real data.

What’s needed is often a deliberate pause - to assess the workflow, identify bottlenecks, standardize, and reassign based on real strengths and capacity. Taking that pause can feel like a setback. It rarely is.

So what now?

It’s already Q3. If you’re starting to think about year-end planning or your next growth phase, now is the time to ask some harder questions:

• What’s the implication one year from now if we keep ignoring or quick-fixing this issue?
  

• What message does that send to our team about what we value as leaders?
  

• Who suffers - clients, associates, stakeholders, when we delay strategic correction?

We often avoid these questions because we know the answers, and the answers require action.

But clarity has a funny way of creating momentum. Once we’re honest about what’s not working, the path forward becomes easier to see.