How Too Much Process Is Crushing Your Coaching Productivity (and What to Do About It)

by Mandy Green, Busy Coach

If your staff is constantly asking for permission, sitting in back-to-back meetings, or wrestling with clunky systems just to get simple tasks done—you’ve got a process problem.

Coaches often turn to systems and structure to stay organized and scale. But there’s a tipping point where those helpful processes start working against your team instead of for it. When everything needs a form, an approval, or a meeting, it doesn’t take long before productivity tanks—and so does morale.

Here’s the truth: over-processed teams don’t innovate. They stay stuck in the loop of busywork and bottlenecks.

Here are five red flags to watch for—and how they may be holding you and your coaching staff back:

1. You “empower” your staff—but still make them ask for permission.
   Responsibility without the power to act isn’t empowerment—it’s micromanagement. If your assistants need three approvals to send a recruiting email or schedule a visit, that’s not trust. That’s control.
2. You manage process, not people.
   When every challenge is met with a new policy or form instead of a conversation, your staff stops feeling seen. Leadership isn’t about checklists—it’s about connection. People need a coach, not a rulebook.
3. Your calendar is a graveyard of pointless meetings.
   Collaboration doesn’t require a Zoom call for every decision. Endless meetings signal a culture of fear—where no one wants to make a move without cover. That slows everything down.
4. Your mission statement sounds great—but no one knows what it means.
   Vision is fuel. Without a clear, compelling purpose, process fills the vacuum. But real motivation comes from knowing why we do what we do—not from following steps on a flowchart.
5. You critique ideas more than you build on them.
   If every meeting feels like a courtroom, your team will stop bringing bold ideas. Creativity dies where judgment lives. You can’t recruit or coach at a high level without a culture that welcomes fresh thinking.

Here’s the shift:
Strip away the noise. Focus on clarity, trust, and meaningful work. Build smart processes that serve your people, not slow them down. When you do, your team will move faster, communicate better, and spend more time on what really matters—developing players, building culture, and winning.

Ready to lead like that? The next level is waiting.

If you want Mandy’s help putting these things into place for you, email her at mandy@busy.coach.