How to Troubleshoot as a CEO When You’re Feeling Frustrated

Author: Niall McGinnity, CEO @ Nuvem9

Nothing currently frustrates me more than spending time watching Man Utd play football (time of comment – Feb 25!). I was more than fortunate to watch a long period of domination from my mid teens to late thirties where my team won again and again. Since 2013, however, that has transformed into a period of deteriorating results, player after player struggling to match the demands and pressure to turn the team round. The strategy at Man Utd has been to spend big; but throwing money at the problem has masked the bigger issue, which was very weak leadership, a lack of long term vision after Sir Alex Ferguson retired and a conflict between the owners seeing Man Utd as a business versus an actual football team.

Are you frustrated in your CEO role?

Every business owner hits the point where they feel stuck, frustrated, or even resentful of their own business. But very often, that frustration is hard to define. It manifests as irritation, fatigue, or a nagging sense that something isn’t quite right. You’re putting in the work, but the results aren’t matching your expectations. The key to moving forward is to dissect that frustration. You need to categorise it, trace it back to the root cause, from where you will have the intel to solve it in the right way.

Step 1: Categorising Your Frustration

Frustration typically falls into one of these categories:

1. Financial Frustration: “I’m working harder than ever, but I’m not making the money I should.”
2. Operational Frustration: “Everything feels chaotic, I’m constantly firefighting, and nothing runs smoothly.”
3. People Frustration: “I feel like I’m carrying my team, but they don’t seem as invested as I am.”
4. Growth & Direction Frustration: “We’ve hit a ceiling, and I don’t know how to break through to the next level.”

Once you categorise your frustration, you can begin tracing it to its underlying symptoms.

Step 2: Identifying the Symptoms

Each category of frustration has warning signs:

1. Financial Frustration: Low margins, cash flow issues, price resistance from clients.
2. Operational Frustration: Constant bottlenecks, over-reliance on you, lack of clear systems.
3. People Frustration: High turnover, disengaged employees, lack of accountability.
4. Growth & Direction Frustration: Stagnant revenue, lost pitches, feeling overwhelmed by decisions.

At this point, you’re probably identifying the symptoms, so let’s go deeper.

Step 3: Tracing Back to the Root Cause

Many business owners get stuck by focussing efforts on fixing symptoms instead of the root causes. Go back to Man Utd; they bought expensive player after player and replaced manager after manager, but didn’t address the root cause which was the long term vision and playing style. What happened was each new manager had a collection of players bought for different short term visions and who couldn’t operate as a cohesive team unit together.

In your business, if cash flow is tight, it might not be just a revenue issue, it could be scope creep, underpricing, or slow-paying clients. If your team isn’t performing, it might not be a talent issue, it could instead be unclear expectations or a lack of incentives.

“There’s a reason that God gave us two ears, two eyes, and one mouth. It’s so you can listen and watch twice as much as you talk.” ~ Sir Alex Ferguson

Step 4: Addressing the Real Problem

Once you’ve identified the root cause, it’s time to solve the problem properly:

1. Financial Issues? Examples: Review pricing, billing structures, and client profitability.
2. Operational Chaos? Examples: Implement processes, delegate, and streamline decision-making.
3. Team Issues? Examples: Set clear roles, provide accountability, and invest in culture.
4. Growth Roadblocks? Examples: Define a long-term vision and execute a strategic plan.

“You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” ~ James Clear

Final Thoughts

Next Steps: A Simple Exercise

Here is a challenge for you. If any of this newsletter resonates with you, put this simple exercise into practice.

Write down the top 3 things that frustrate you about your business right now.

Categorise them using the framework above (Financial, Operational, People, Growth).

List the specific symptoms you see (what’s actually happening?).

Ask yourself ‘Why?’ five times to trace back to the root cause.

Identify one actionable change to fix the root issue.

If you’re feeling stuck, let’s talk to see if a effectively short & focused strategy session could unlock the clarity you need to move forward.

“The hard part of management is not whether you can see the problem. It’s whether you can do something about it.”

~ Sir Alex Ferguson

Main Image Credit: Photo by JESHOOTS.COM

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