My toddler niece is deep in a space phase, which means I’ve been learning a lot more about phenomena like black holes lately. That’s how I came across the concept of spaghettification—a real astrophysics term for what happens when something gets pulled toward a black hole and is stretched so thin, it starts to unravel.
That’s what a lot of team check-ins sound like right now.
People aren’t just busy—they’re being pulled in too many directions at once. Across files, clients, deliverables, shifting leadership, organizational change, unclear roles, and moving targets. Just like matter approaching a black hole’s horizon, capable professionals are doing their best to hold it all together, even as the systems around them fray.
Teams are caught in relentless gravitational pulls.
And while capacity is part of the story, what I often see underneath is more structural and systemic. It’s about missing clarity that leaves people guessing. It’s unspoken assumptions that create misalignment. It’s poor handoffs where accountability gets lost. It’s too much work happening in the shadows or being duplicated because visibility is low.
As a result, more workload dashboards won’t necessarily solve the stretch.
Instead, let’s explore a few key areas I’ve helped client-serving teams address when they feel like things are starting to unravel:
1. Streamlining intake
How work enters the team—how it’s assigned, briefed, and launched—sets the tone for everything else. If your team is spending time chasing down missing information, guessing what’s urgent, or duplicating each other’s efforts, the problem of volume intensifies.
A clear, shared intake process could help turn this around. Even a few small changes—like a standardized checklist, a mandatory kickoff, or a shared documentation template—can reduce frustration and eliminate unnecessary follow-up work.
2. Efficient escalation
When team members aren’t sure if it’s “worth bothering” someone senior, they’ll often try to work through it on their own—even when they’re stuck. That hesitation, especially in fast-moving environments, can quietly rack up hours of wasted time and energy.
Creating efficient (and psychologically safe) escalation paths is key to preventing this waste. This goes beyond just telling people to ask questions—it means designing when, how, and to whom they should escalate issues, so they don’t lose time wondering or over-functioning alone.
3. Ownership and accountability
I’ve seen this go sideways in a few ways.
Something falls through the cracks and no one realizes it until it’s too late. Or a task that was assumed to be done quietly stalls out because no one was actually on it. Or someone thinks they have completed the task, but that is seen as incomplete or not to standard by the receiver.
Clear ownership isn’t about micromanaging. It’s about surfacing who’s responsible for what—and creating space for the handoffs, follow-through, and status checks that keep things moving without excessive oversight.
4. Clear instructions—and clarity from the client
Rework is expensive. Most teams don’t talk about how much time they lose to unclear directions, vague expectations, or conversations that end with “I thought you meant…”
A short conversation to align on scope, format, tone, and level of polish can prevent late-night rewrites and frustration on both sides.
Just as importantly, leaders and client-facing team members need to clarify with the client what’s actually needed—and how they want it delivered. Otherwise, the team risks delivering something that’s technically excellent—but still misses the mark.
5. Prioritization (Real, Not Performative)
Everything can’t be urgent all of the time.
In teams managing multiple clients or projects, urgency can feel constant. But it is impossible to handle everything at once.
Where I’ve seen teams regain control is in learning to distinguish what truly needs to be done first. That might mean breaking things into milestones, triaging together, and intentionally planning for what happens when priorities inevitably shift.
If no one is making those calls out loud, the loudest voice usually wins—and strategy quietly disappears.
These aren’t the only conversations worth having. But they’re a few that tend to change the game when client delivery feels unsustainable.
It starts by naming the forces pulling us apart—and choosing where to focus, together.
Teams can be designed to withstand the gravitational pressure—without unraveling into organizational spaghetti.
Because delivering excellent client work shouldn’t rely on late-night heroics or quiet strain.
If your team is feeling the stretch, let’s talk. I’d love to hear which of these challenges resonates most with your experience.