Listen to this week’s column:
Dear Idea Guy,
Our team is constantly busy. Meetings all day. Initiatives everywhere. Everyone is working hard, but progress feels slow, and nothing really changes.
We keep saying we’re “stuck,” but no one can point to what’s actually blocking us.
Are we missing something?
— Busy in Bankers Hill
Dear Busy,
What you’re describing doesn’t sound like a team that’s stuck. It sounds like a team that’s very, very busy.
And that distinction matters.
Most organizations assume that when progress slows, the answer is to add more activity. More meetings. More initiatives. More “quick wins.” The calendar fills up, inboxes overflow, and everyone stays in motion.
But motion isn’t the same as movement.
In my work with leadership teams, I see this pattern constantly: when teams don’t know what to fix, they stay busy instead. Busyness becomes a coping mechanism. It feels productive. It looks responsible. And it conveniently avoids the harder work of deciding what actually matters.
Here’s the telltale sign: everything feels urgent, but nothing feels decisive.
When that happens, teams aren’t blocked by a lack of effort. They’re blocked by a lack of clarity. Without a shared understanding of the real problem, work fragments. People default to what they can control. Meetings multiply. Initiatives stack up. And progress quietly slows under the weight of activity.
The shift isn’t about working harder. It’s about working with intent.
Instead of asking, “What should we do next?” try asking, “What’s the one thing we’re avoiding deciding?” That question often reveals more than any status update ever will.
The most effective leaders I work with do something counterintuitive when things feel stuck. They slow the system down just enough to regain focus. They reduce the number of priorities. They name what won’t get attention. And they create space for the team to align around a single, meaningful challenge.
This doesn’t demotivate teams. It relieves them.
Clarity is energizing. It gives effort direction. It turns busyness into progress.
So if your team feels overwhelmed but underwhelmed by results, don’t assume you need more action. You may simply need a better question.
— Kevin Popovic, The Idea Guy®
WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? is a weekly column by Kevin Popovic, The Idea Guy®—a trusted advisor to CEOs and leaders across industries. Each edition answers real-world business challenges with clear, creative insights you can use to think differently and lead confidently.
Got a problem worth solving? Send your question to [email protected] – it could be featured in an upcoming column.
Kevin Popović is the trusted advisor behind What’s Your Problem?, the San Diego Business Journal’s weekly innovation advice column for business leaders. Known as The Idea Guy®, Popović helps CEOs and leadership teams solve complex challenges with clarity, creativity, and confidence.
A former Zahn Chair of Creativity & Innovation at San Diego State University and a TEDx speaker, Kevin has led award-winning agencies, launched innovation labs, and guided Fortune 500 companies, startups, and public institutions through high-impact change. As the founder of The Idea Guy®, he brings over 25 years of experience helping executives build cultures of innovation, improve strategic thinking, and generate results.
His work spans design thinking, creative strategy, and generative AI—equipping leaders to reframe problems and lead what’s next.
