2026-01-09 01:00:04
The “Missing Middle” might be familiar to you, especially if you’re working or have worked in real estate. It wasn’t invented for business; it was coined by urban planners to describe a critical gap in our cities: too many detached single-family homes (low density) and massive high-rise apartment blocks (high density), but everything in between - duplexes, townhouses, and courtyard apartments - is missing. These "middle" options are essential for a healthy community, yet they are often impossible to find.
\
In 2026, the global business landscape is suffering from the exact same crisis.
\
We have an abundance of "single-family" solutions (cheap, DIY apps for individuals) and "high-rise" solutions (expensive, sluggish enterprise contracts). However, for mid-sized companies, ambitious startups, and skilled professionals who form the backbone of the economy, opportunities are scarce, and virtually, there is nowhere to live.
\ The "Missing Middle" is the zone where businesses are too complex for a chatbot, but too agile for a consultant. It is the zone where growth is hindered because the tools available are either too simple to handle the complexity or too heavy to handle the speed.
\
In 2026, market edges are overcrowded.
The Bottom is Commoditized: AI and automation have made basic services (writing, coding, support) easy and cost-efficient.
The Top is Saturated: Legacy giants fight over the top positions with expensive contracts and AI funds.
\
Just as urban planners are fighting to bring back townhouses and duplexes, the smartest companies in 2026 are building Precision Ecosystems - specialized structures designed specifically for this neglected middle tier.
\ 1. Precision in Talent: Generic freelance platforms offer millions of workers, but they create chaos with time zones and cultural barriers. The solution for the "middle" isn't more workers; it’s synchronicity. The future of remote work recruiting focuses on specific regions that align with client time zones, turning remote work from a possible casual gig into a reliable, real-time operation.
\ 2. Precision in Skills: Traditional universities are too slow, and YouTube tutorials are too shallow. The "middle" needs a new kind of workforce: one that is able to combine traditional high-level training with constantly-updated knowledge via short, certified and verified in-depth courses.
\ 3. Precision in Service: For mid-sized companies (10–250 employees), modern banking and SaaS are often a nightmare of chatbots and help centers. The solution is Tech-Enabled Humanity. Successful models are automating the boring back-end tasks to free up budget for human relationship managers on the front end. They offer the one feature the "missing middle" craves most: a phone number that actually rings.
\
If you are building a precision solution for this "Missing Middle," you cannot market it with generic tactics. Broad social media ads target the "single-family home" audience (mass market). Expensive PR agencies target the "high-rise" audience (enterprise). To reach the builders and decision-makers in the middle, you need Precision Storytelling.
\
:::info Book a meeting here to know more!
:::
\
Meet WeRemoto, ALX Africa, and Allica Bank!
\
\ WeRemoto solves the small business talent crisis by connecting you with the top 1% of vetted professionals from Latin America. Instead of just hiring contractors, you gain a passionate, cost-effective team dedicated to driving your business forward.
\ The company was nominated amongst the best startups in Consulting, Professional Services, and Business Development in the Startups of The Year 2024 campaign.
\
\ ALX Africa unlocks the limitless potential of talent by providing accessible, world-class training in the most in-demand tech and leadership skills. They are building a new generation of agile digital leaders empowered to drive innovation and secure impactful careers in the global economy.
\ Based in Nairobi, Kenya, ALX Africa was nominated as one of the best startups in EdTech, E-learning, and SaaS in the HackerNoon Startups of The Year 2024 campaign.
\
\ Allica Bank is the UK's fastest-growing fintech, built specifically to serve established businesses that are often overlooked by big banks. By combining modern technology with dedicated relationship managers, Allica gives business owners the personalized service they deserve alongside powerful tools to simplify their financial lives.
\ Based in London, UK, Allica Bank was nominated as one of the best startups in FinTech, Banking, and Investing in the Startups of The Year 2024 campaign by HackerNoon.
\ That’s all for today hackers! See you on the next one 💚
2026-01-09 00:32:04
\
Can decentralized exchanges offer the same trading experience as centralized platforms without building everything from scratch?
\ That question has plagued DeFi protocols attempting to expand into derivatives markets, where development complexity and liquidity fragmentation create substantial barriers to entry.
\ Orbs has positioned itself as a solution to this challenge. The company announced that Atlantis integrated Perpetual Hub Ultra to bring perpetual futures trading to Monad. Rather than spending months developing custom infrastructure, Atlantis deployed a complete derivatives trading stack through a modular framework that handles hedging, liquidation, oracles, and trading interfaces.
\ https://x.com/orbs_network/status/2009236951959015728?embedable=true
\
Perpetual Hub Ultra operates as a scalable perpetuals protocol that functions through a modular integration layer. Think of it as a pre-built trading engine that decentralized exchanges can plug into their platforms rather than constructing one from the ground up. This approach addresses a persistent problem in DeFi: exchanges either spend significant resources building proprietary systems or rely on limited liquidity sources that cannot match centralized exchange depth.
\ The protocol aggregates liquidity from multiple sources, both onchain and offchain, including major centralized exchanges, while maintaining decentralized settlement and execution. Perpetual futures are derivative contracts that allow traders to speculate on asset prices without expiration dates, unlike traditional futures contracts. They use funding rates to keep contract prices aligned with spot market prices. For DeFi platforms, offering these products traditionally required building complex liquidation mechanisms, oracle systems, and order matching engines.
\ Orbs operates as a Layer-3 blockchain secured by permissionless validators using delegated proof-of-stake consensus. A Layer-3 blockchain sits above standard smart contract platforms, providing additional execution capabilities and logic processing beyond what base layer blockchains can efficiently handle. This architecture enables protocols to execute complex trading operations that would be too computationally expensive or slow on traditional Layer-1 or Layer-2 networks.
\
Atlantis built its platform around a modular V4 architecture that supports plugin-based functionality. This design philosophy allows the exchange to add new capabilities without migrating existing contracts or disrupting current users. The Perpetual Hub Ultra integration follows this model, connecting to Atlantis' existing infrastructure through standardized interfaces.
\ Users accessing perpetuals on Atlantis gain exposure to aggregated liquidity pools, customizable leverage options, and execution quality comparable to centralized venues. The platform maintains flexibility to adjust its trading offerings as the Monad ecosystem develops, adding or modifying features without rebuilding core systems.
\ Ran Hammer, head of ecosystem at Orbs, explains,
\
This integration shows how advanced onchain derivatives can be deployed quickly and efficiently without sacrificing decentralization. By powering perpetuals on Atlantis through Perpetual Hub Ultra, Orbs is enabling teams on Monad to offer professional-grade derivatives trading using a modular, turnkey infrastructure.
\ The deployment represents an evolution from Orbs' earlier Perpetual Hub implementations, which are already operational across multiple decentralized trading venues. The Ultra version extends these capabilities by routing liquidity from both onchain and offchain sources while maintaining decentralized settlement.
\
Perpetual Hub Ultra incorporates intent-based execution models that have gained adoption in spot markets. Intent-based trading allows users to specify desired outcomes rather than exact execution paths. For example, a trader might express intent to open a leveraged position at a specific price point, and the system determines the optimal route to achieve that outcome across available liquidity sources.
\ This approach contrasts with traditional order book models where users must manually navigate liquidity fragmentation and execute trades through specific venues. Intent-based systems abstract this complexity, routing orders to achieve best execution while users interact with simplified interfaces.
\ The integration positions Atlantis as a comprehensive DeFi hub on Monad, combining spot trading, perpetual futures, cross-chain functionality, and other services through a unified platform. Atlantis also incorporates AI-driven fee optimization and leverages Monad's high-performance execution environment to reduce transaction costs.
\
The modular infrastructure approach that Orbs offers addresses a legitimate market gap in DeFi. Exchanges attempting to expand into derivatives face substantial development overhead and ongoing maintenance costs for complex systems. Perpetual Hub Ultra provides an alternative path that reduces time to market and allows teams to focus resources on user acquisition and interface design rather than backend engineering.
\ However, this model introduces dependencies on external infrastructure providers. While Orbs operates through decentralized validators, exchanges using Perpetual Hub Ultra rely on Orbs' continued operation and development. This tradeoff between development efficiency and infrastructure independence will likely shape how DeFi protocols evaluate build versus integrate decisions. The integration demonstrates that competitive derivatives trading can exist onchain without sacrificing decentralization, assuming the underlying Layer-3 infrastructure maintains security and performance standards that match user expectations.
\ Don’t forget to like and share the story!
\
2026-01-09 00:02:24
How are you, hacker?
🪐 What’s happening in tech today, January 8, 2026?
The HackerNoon Newsletter brings the HackerNoon homepage straight to your inbox. On this day, The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law in 2002, President Washington delivered the first State of the Union Address in New York City in 1790, Elvis Presley was born in 1935, and we present you with these top quality stories. From Gran Turismo 2026: The Great AI Showdown for Autonomous Driving to 5 Open-Source Fashion Projects to Use for Free —and Support with Kivach, let’s dive right in.
By @vinitabansal [ 12 Min read ] Here are the five critical dysfunctions every leadership team must guard against to unlock unwavering trust Read More.
By @dmtrmrv [ 10 Min read ] Start with markup, not styles. Write only the CSS you actually need. Design for mobile first, not as a fix later. Let layouts adapt before reaching for breakpoi Read More.
By @obyte [ 6 Min read ] Open-source meets style: let’s explore some free fashion tools and learn how to support them with crypto donations through Kivach. Read More.
By @zbruceli [ 20 Min read ] Tesla has the data ocean. Waymo has the ground truth. Nvidia has the compute. Who wins the Gran Truismo of autonomous driving? Read More.
By @hackernoon-courses [ 3 Min read ] Learn how to write in your own voice, build confidence in your style, and create work that sounds unmistakably you. Read More.
🧑💻 What happened in your world this week?
It's been said that writing can help consolidate technical knowledge, establish credibility, and contribute to emerging community standards. Feeling stuck? We got you covered ⬇️⬇️⬇️
ANSWER THESE GREATEST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS OF ALL TIME
We hope you enjoy this worth of free reading material. Feel free to forward this email to a nerdy friend who'll love you for it.See you on Planet Internet! With love, The HackerNoon Team ✌️
2026-01-08 23:25:12
When major cryptocurrencies lose momentum, attention often shifts fast. Traders look for assets that can move independently of large market caps. Ethereum slipping below a key level has triggered this familiar rotation. While large caps pause, smaller DeFi projects with active development often draw fresh interest. One new crypto priced at $0.04 is now gaining attention as supply tightens.
Ethereum is currently trading near $3,200. Its market cap remains one of the largest in crypto, second only to Bitcoin. For years, ETH has been a core holding for many investors due to its role in smart contracts and decentralized apps.
However, size brings limits. Ethereum continues to face strong resistance around the $3,500 level. Each attempt to move higher has met selling pressure. Because of its large valuation, even strong demand results in slower price movement. Many investors now see limited short term upside compared to earlier cycles.
This has pushed some market participants to search for lower priced tokens. These assets often require less capital to move and can offer higher upside potential. That is where new DeFi crypto projects enter the conversation.
Mutuum Finance (MUTM), is a new crypto built on Ethereum. The protocol focuses on decentralized lending and borrowing. It supports both pooled and peer based markets.
In the pooled lending model, also known as P2C, users deposit assets into shared pools. In return, they receive mtTokens. These tokens represent their share of the pool and grow in value as interest is earned.
Here is a simple example. A user supplies 1,000 USDT into the pool. If the pool earns about 8% APY, the value of their mtToken position would be about 1,080 USDT after one year, assuming the rate stays the same. The user does not need to claim rewards every day. The yield is reflected in the mtTokens as the pool accrues interest.
The protocol also supports peer to peer borrowing. In this model, lenders and borrowers connect directly. Borrow rates depend on asset type and demand. Each loan follows clear loan to value rules.
If a borrower exceeds safe limits, liquidations are triggered to protect lenders. This structure helps manage risk while keeping rates market driven. Together, these systems aim to balance flexibility and safety. They also create repeat usage, which is key for long term DeFi growth.
MUTM is currently priced at $0.04 and is in Phase 7 of its presale. The presale began in early 2025 and has progressed steadily through several stages. Since Phase 1, the token price has increased by about 300%. The planned launch price is $0.06.
The total supply of MUTM is capped at 4 billion tokens. Of this amount, 45.5% or about 1.82 billion tokens are allocated to the presale. A large portion of this allocation has already been sold. Phase 6 is now over 99% filled, which signals strong demand at this stage.
Funding has crossed $19.5 million, and the holder count has grown beyond 18,600 participants. Activity is also reflected in the 24 hour leaderboard. Contributors compete for daily rewards of $500 in MUTM, which encourages repeat participation rather than one time buys.
Security is another key focus. Mutuum Finance has undergone reviews from CertiK, which issued a token scan score of 90 out of 100. Halborn Security finalized conducting a deeper security audit of the protocol. In addition, a $50,000 bug bounty program is in place to reward responsible disclosures.
The next major milestone for Mutuum Finance is the V1 launch. According to official statements shared on X, V1 is scheduled for Q1 2026. This release will activate the core lending features and allow real usage to begin.
Beyond V1, the roadmap includes a native stablecoin. This stablecoin is planned to be backed by borrower activity within the protocol. By keeping value inside the ecosystem, it could support stronger liquidity and more predictable usage.
Layer 2 integration is also planned. High gas fees have limited Ethereum based DeFi in the past. By expanding to Layer 2 networks, Mutuum Finance aims to reduce costs and increase transaction speed. This is critical for scaling daily activity and attracting a broader user base.
With Ethereum consolidating and large caps moving slowly, many investors are reassessing where to allocate capital. New crypto projects with active development and tightening supply often benefit during these phases.
For MUTM, several factors are aligning at once. Phase 7 is accelerating. The next crypto phase is expected to bring another price increase of about 20%. V1 is approaching. Security reviews are done. Participation metrics continue to rise. These conditions explain why MUTM is being discussed more often in conversations around the potential best crypto to buy now and what crypto to buy during market pauses.
For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:
Website: https://www.mutuum.com
:::tip This story was published as a press release by Btcwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program.
:::
\ \ \
2026-01-08 23:00:03
\ The meme coin sector shows obvious winners and losers heading into 2026. Pepecoin is trading at roughly $0.000006739, Shiba Inu is trading at around $0.000009383, and Dogecoin is trading around $0.15, all of which show gains due to sector strength. Pepeto ($PEPETO) Presale at $0.000000175 receives massive interest with over $7.14M USDT raised.
Meanwhile, the official coin of Trump has not pleased supporters with lackluster performance despite presidential association. This divergence shows that there is more to cryptocurrency success than just having celebrities on board, being community-driven, developing utility, and executing properly.
\
Pepecoin continues showing strength with $2.8B dollar market cap, this being achieved with remarkable growth since launch. The token captures the meme cultural relevance, which attracts the engagement of the community in social media amplification of the meme.
Shiba Inu at $5.5B dollar market cap holds 2nd largest meme coin position. Shibarium Layer 2 development goes beyond speculation. Dogecoin rallied about 30% from December lows to hit $25B dollar market cap. The original meme coin has the benefit of any Elon Musk association and some brand recognition. These three are tokens of continued interest in spite of volatility in the markets thanks to continued community engagement.
\
The launch of the official Trump coin had a lot of fanfare behind it and used the association with the President to market the coin. Initial speculation spurred temporary price jump then heavy fall. The token has no basic utility beyond the political memorabilia status. There are no development of ecosystems, staking mechanisms, functional applications.
The project looks more like it is meant to be a fundraiser rather than serious cryptocurrency venture. Community engagement is still very low when compared to successful meme coins. Trading volume fell significantly post launch period.
This performance serves as an example that the mere endorsement by celebrities cannot keep the value of cryptocurrencies up without having underlying fundamentals or interested community.
\
While it is clear that established meme coins are mostly holding their positions and newer launches like Trump Coin have disappointed, Pepeto (PEPETO) is creating real excitement with its presale at $0.000000175 per token on the Ethereum mainnet. The project has already raised over $7.14 million and built a community of more than 100,000 members, reflecting genuine market interest rather than short-lived celebrity hype. This traction is one of the reasons Pepeto is increasingly being watched by whales known for identifying major crypto opportunities early.
\ Pepeto differentiates itself through functional, utility-driven infrastructure, not just narrative. PepetoSwap is a zero-fee decentralized exchange, designed to attract traders who prioritize cost efficiency and volume. Pepeto Bridge enables seamless cross-chain movement, directly addressing the fragmentation that limits liquidity across meme ecosystems. At the core, the Pepeto Exchange has already received over 850 project applications, with all trading volume routed through the $PEPETO token, creating sustained demand tied directly to usage.
\ During the presale phase, investors benefit in multiple ways. Staking offers up to 216% APY, rewarding early conviction, while the stage-based pricing model ensures the token price increases progressively as the presale advances. Security audits by SolidProof and Coinsult validate the implementation and add an additional layer of protection for both traders and project owners.
This combination of early-stage pricing, zero-fee trading, cross-chain infrastructure, whale attention, and audited security positions Pepeto as more than just another meme coin. With ambitions to become the “BNB of meme coins”, powering its own ecosystem and capturing trading volume over time, and with expectations of a Tier-1 launch during a strong market cycle, many analysts are already framing Pepeto as a potential 100× opportunity in 2026. The blend of meme appeal and real utility is exactly what gives Pepeto a sustainable value proposition and significant upside rarely found at this stage.
Go to pepeto.io and make sure that you are accessing a legitimate website. After that, connect your cryptocurrency wallet - MetaMask and Trust wallet are both perfect options! From there, choose to use ETH, use USDT, use BNB, or credit card payment via Web3Payments integration. Proceed by typing your desired purchase amount to determine your PEPETO allocation at the current $0.000000175 rate.
When ready, authorize the transaction through your wallet interface taking network fees into account. As soon as the processing of blockchain is completed, you can find tokens in your wallet immediately with staking access. On top of that, each purchase, automatically enters the $700K dollar promotional campaign.
Successful meme coins share several core characteristics that separate long-term winners from short-lived failures. Strong community engagement is essential for sustaining momentum across market cycles, which is why projects like Pepecoin, Shiba Inu, and Dogecoin have historically benefited from active social media presence and a base of dedicated holders.
\ However, utility development is what creates demand beyond pure speculation. Functional reasons for holding tokens, such as Shibarium in the Shiba Inu ecosystem or the full infrastructure being built within Pepeto’s ecosystem, are increasingly important as the market matures. In parallel, professional execution, including security audits, transparent communication, and the delivery of roadmap milestones, plays a critical role in building credibility and long-term confidence.
\ This distinction becomes clear when comparing successful projects to failed launches like Trump Coin, which relied heavily on celebrity association without substance. As a result, market participants are becoming far more selective, favoring projects with real structure over short-term cash grabs.
\ Pepeto reflects this evolution not only through utility, but also through carefully designed tokenomics. The project maintains the proven 420 trillion total supply, a structure familiar to PEPE holders, while upgrading it for sustainability and price stability. The supply is allocated as follows:
• 30% (126T) to presale participants
• 30% (126T) to staking rewards, with APYs reaching up to 223%
• 20% (84T) dedicated to marketing for mass adoption
• 12.5% (52.5T) reserved for liquidity to support healthy trading
• 7.5% (31.5T) allocated to ongoing development
By preserving the meme-friendly supply psychology that worked for PEPE and optimizing it to limit post-launch sell pressure, the PEPE co-founder behind Pepeto has effectively upgraded the model. The combination of staged presale pricing, staking lockups, liquidity planning, and ecosystem-driven demand is designed to reduce sudden supply shocks after launch, helping to prevent sharp price drops that have historically hurt meme projects.
This balance of community, real utility, disciplined tokenomics, and experienced leadership is exactly what differentiates Pepeto from speculative failures, and explains why it is increasingly viewed as a next-generation meme coin built for longevity rather than hype alone.
\
The difference between meme coins that create millionaires and those that fade away comes down to timing and substance. Pepecoin, Shiba Inu, and Dogecoin delivered life-changing returns only to early buyers, today, their large market caps cap upside. Historically, the biggest gains always happen before listings and mainstream exposure.
Pepeto sits in that exact early window, combining meme appeal with real utility and audited infrastructure. Presale access allows investors to position before launch, before Tier-1 listings, and before full price discovery, where the largest percentage returns typically occur. In contrast to celebrity-driven hype projects, Pepeto’s growing community, execution-focused roadmap, and security-first approach are why many view this presale as a rare high-conviction opportunity for outsized returns.
\ TO BUY PEPETO BEFORE TIER-1-LISTING, USE ONLY THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE: https://pepeto.io
\ To stay ahead of key updates, listings, and announcements, follow Pepeto on its official channels only:
Website: https://pepeto.io
X (Twitter): https://x.com/Pepetocoin
Telegram: https://t.me/pepeto_channel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pepetocoin/
\
:::tip This story was published as a press release by Tokenwire under our Business Blogging Program.
:::
\
2026-01-08 22:00:04
Leadership in an organization is meant to be the powerhouse that drives growth, fuels momentum, and creates the conditions for every team to succeed.
\ But when dysfunction creeps in, instead of being a place where leaders seek alignment on vision, make tough calls with clarity and trust each other's judgment, misaligned goals, hidden agendas, poor communication, and unchecked egos take over—trust erodes, progress stalls, and critical opportunities slip away.
\ Mistakes are deflected or blamed on others.
Messages are inconsistent or contradictory.
Lack of alignment due to competing agendas.
Decisions are met with suspicion instead of support.
\ When people in leadership positions can’t work together, everyone in the organization can feel its effects. What starts as mistrust, ego clash, conflict avoidance, and power plays at the top gradually trickles down, with managers and teams adopting the same habits, normalizing dysfunction, and making it a part of everyday work life.
\ Dysfunctional leadership radiates outwards, inflicting lasting harm across the entire organization. Spot it early, and address it head-on.
\
Weak leadership can lead to dysfunction, conflict, and a lack of focus. A board without strong leadership may struggle to make decisions, fulfill its oversight responsibilities, or effectively support the organization's strategic goals.
— Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr.
\ Here are the five critical dysfunctions every leadership team must guard against to unlock unwavering trust, sharper decisions, faster execution, and a culture where people are energized to deliver their best.
When members of a leadership team come together to talk about problems, it’s easy to be fooled by the energy in the room and mistake words for action. There’s a lot of debate, everyone has an opinion, but no commitment and accountability to make a clear decision and act on it.
\ The meeting ends, and everyone leaves the room, not knowing what was finally decided, who’s responsible, and what will be the next steps. Even if the group aligns on a common decision, leaders who advocated for it at first refuse to support it outside the room. There’s little follow-through—problems linger on, more time and energy are wasted in meetings, but nothing truly changes. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when talking is the goal, not the resolution.
\ Team members not only become frustrated with unresolved problems, but they also lose faith in their leadership teams. They stop bringing problems or raising concerns because they’re convinced it’s pointless, as nothing ever gets fixed. Some quietly go about their day by ignoring the unresolved issues and doing the bare minimum to avoid conflict—they disengage, mentally check out, and learn to work with a broken system. Others quit. And many others learn to mimic their leadership teams by pretending to problem-solve while skilfully procrastinating beneath the surface.
\ When “all talk and no follow-through” dysfunction cascades down, it creates a culture where action becomes optional, commitments turn flexible, and accountability quietly disappears—everyone looks busy without moving anything forward.
\ To avoid this leadership dysfunction, turn leadership conversations into leadership actions:
\
Follow-through is the cornerstone of execution, and every leader who’s good at executing follows through religiously. Following through ensures that people are doing the things they committed to do, according to the agreed timetable.
― Larry Bossidy
\ When leadership meetings end up in long debates with no concrete action, they drain energy, blur priorities, and send the message that action is optional. Avoid this leadership dysfunction by moving from discussion to decisive action—assign ownership, agree on deadlines, and commit to solutions even when they’re imperfect.
When members of a leadership team don’t share disagreements openly, avoid bringing up topics that are uncomfortable to discuss, put off difficult conversations, or soften tough feedback to avoid upsetting others, it creates an illusion of harmony.
\ Leaders smile, nod, and appear agreeable on the surface as they avoid conflict and leave important issues untouched, but prioritizing peace and harmony over candor leads to misaligned priorities, poor decision-making, and small misunderstandings to grow into bigger problems. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when conflict isn’t confronted; it’s sidestepped.
\ Avoidance may feel comfortable in the moment, but it always comes at a cost. When leaders avoid conflicts, they leave chaos. Leaders start making assumptions about each other instead of asking questions. Decisions are made without considering all perspectives. Poor choices go unchallenged. Creativity and innovation suffer because no one wants to take the risk of offering a different opinion. Instead of working through conflicts until there’s clarity and alignment, unresolved issues and unspoken frustrations pile up, creating a leadership team that appears aligned in meetings but is deeply disconnected behind the scenes.
\ When leaders avoid difficult conversations, people in the team get the message “disagreeing is risky, speaking up is unwelcome, and going along with the majority is the safest choice.” They skip uncomfortable discussions, keep their opinion to themselves, and leave important issues unresolved instead of addressing them.
\ When conflict avoidance dysfunction cascades down, it creates a culture where voicing concerns, engaging in healthy debates, and striving for the best solutions take a back seat—people nod in agreement while simmering resentment beneath.
\ To avoid this leadership dysfunction, turn conflict into a tool, not a threat:
\
When an executive decides not to confront a peer about a potential disagreement, he or she is dooming employees to waste time, money, and emotional energy dealing with unresolvable issues. This causes the best employees to start looking for jobs in less dysfunctional organizations, and it creates an environment of disillusionment, distrust, and exhaustion for those who stay.
— Patrick Lencioni
\ When leaders avoid conflict, they trade progress for a false sense of peace. To prevent this leadership dysfunction from taking root, address conflicts head-on and work together to find solutions. Create an environment where healthy disagreements are encouraged, and conflicts are not treated as threats, but as opportunities to align and grow stronger together.
When members of a leadership team become consumed with politics and power dynamics, when personal agendas take priority over organizational goals, and when more time is spent looking good than collaborating to solve problems, decisions may appear to be based on competence and ideas, while in reality, they’re driven by influence and who holds the most sway.
\ When power plays dominate a leadership team, leaders guard information, challenge others’ motives, second-guess decisions, withhold support, dismiss contributions, and form inner circles to strengthen their influence by aligning with some while sidelining others. But, seeing others as competitors instead of allies stagnates organizational growth by shifting energy away from problem-solving towards guarding power and protecting egos. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when shared goals turn into individual battles of who benefits and who gets the credit.
\ Politics at the top doesn’t just slow down progress; it infects the entire organization with fear, favoritism, and wasted energy—teams start competing with one another instead of working toward shared goals, best ideas are ignored while politically correct choices are approved, and people are met with suspicion instead of trust and support. High performers grow frustrated and either disengage or leave.
\ Power struggles and hidden agendas not only show up at the top, but they also start trickling downwards as people learn that their success depends more on navigating politics and aligning with the right people than delivering results. They stop speaking up, sharing ideas, or challenging poor decisions with the fear of upsetting those in power. Employees learn to watch their backs rather than support one another, leading to silos, suspicion, and growing mistrust.
\ When power plays cascade down, teamwork dies while politics becomes the game everyone learns to play—replacing creativity with conformity, truth with silence, and impact with image.
\ To avoid this leadership dysfunction, say no to politics by clearly stating expectations:
\
The essence of a cohesive leadership team is trust, which is marked by an absence of politics, unnecessary anxiety, and wasted energy. Every executive wants to achieve this, but few are able to do so because they fail to understand the roots of these problems, the most damaging of which is politics.
— Patrick Lencioni
\ When leaders prioritize power over progress, everyone loses. The work stalls, opportunities are missed, and the organization pays the price for battles that should never have been fought in the first place. To prevent this leadership dysfunction, ensure leaders do not rise in power by playing a political game. Reward transparency, celebrate collective wins, and hold leaders accountable for how they achieve outcomes, not just what they achieve.
When members of a leadership team treat every request as urgent, every project as a top priority, and every issue as a crisis, it may appear that they’re on top of everything as issues are being tackled quickly, while in reality, they’re reacting instead of shaping the future.
\ Leaders spend more time firefighting than building products, more energy on short-term wins than long-term success, and more effort on being tactful than thinking strategically. There’s pressure around every issue, a constant rush to decide, and chaos in prioritizing, as everything deserves immediate attention. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when leadership meetings are driven by deadlines and crises, rather than thoughtful problem-solving or strategic alignment.
\ False urgency creates a sense of busyness without creating momentum—with confusion, half-baked solutions, wasted effort, and exhaustion. When urgency is falsified rather than grounded in real business needs, teams operate like a mad powerhouse—people in the team keep running in many different directions without actually reaching anywhere. Jumping from one task to another and being in a constant state of overwhelm and reactivity can drain team energy, increase stress, and even lead to burnout. When employees don’t get time to do deep work or experience the joy and pleasure of being in a state of flow, they feel unhappy, stuck, and dissatisfied.
\ Mindless busyness due to a false sense of urgency does not lead to progress; it only adds to stress.
\ Expecting your team to take urgent requests seriously and attend to them in a timely manner isn’t wrong. It’s counterproductive when every other request is given a high priority, and the team is expected to jump at the chance.
\ When urgency dysfunction cascades down, teams learn that the importance of work does not matter anymore; it’s the speed of response that counts—they focus on looking busy and responding quickly, rather than delivering meaningful outcomes.
\ To avoid this leadership dysfunction, shift from reactive busyness to proactive progress:
\
The paradox of short-term thinking is that it often ends up being more damaging and more expensive than longer-term thinking.
― Roger Spitz
\ False urgency makes leaders feel like they’re winning the race when they’re actually running in circles. Avoid this leadership dysfunction by resisting the pull of short-term fixes, focusing on the big picture, and making deliberate choices that shape the future.
When members of a leadership team stop asking tough questions, challenging assumptions, pushing boundaries, or stretching beyond what’s familiar, things may look great on the surface as everyone seems aligned, but settling for good enough and leaning on past achievements instead of imagining what could be possible gives way to complacency disguised as stability and success.
\ Leaders try to play it safe by settling for routines, avoiding experimentation, and ignoring emerging opportunities. Decisions are made based on what worked in the past instead of what’s required in the future. Change is ignored and pushed aside as it feels risky and uncomfortable. Bold ideas are dismissed as they require confronting obstacles and learning new ways of doing things. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when leaders are more focused on preserving what they have than pursuing what’s possible.
\ “Good enough” mindset breeds complacency. It’s the silent killer of innovation and creativity. Avoiding challenges with fear of failure, dismissing ideas because they seem too risky, or defaulting to tried-and-tested methods over bold initiatives caps a team's potential. People in the team don’t learn to navigate complex problems, confront obstacles, or course correct when things don’t work out as expected. Doing familiar things feels safe, but it also limits growth.
\ When you set the ceiling too low for your team, you open the door for average to become the norm and invite mediocrity to settle in. It dulls your team’s ambition and prevents them from stretching their potential, taking bold risks, or striving for excellence. In such a culture, failure becomes feared instead of embraced as part of progress. New ideas feel unwelcome. Boldness is replaced by caution. The result? People in the team don’t fail, but they don’t excel either—mediocrity is silently accepted because excellence isn’t offered as an option.
\ Once complacency dysfunction cascades down, comfort becomes the unspoken goal—people in the team stop pushing for more. They follow routines, execute on what’s been done before, and never step into uncharted territory. Being bored, disengaged, and under-challenged makes them passive—they go through motions, ticking boxes, and doing the bare minimum. If no one’s asking for more, why bother giving more? If bold thinking gets ignored, why take the risk? If comfort is the reward, why choose a challenge?
\ To avoid this leadership dysfunction, value exploration over preservation:
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When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat. After a while it becomes more innovative in thinking up how to lose than thinking up how to win.
― Pat Riley
\ Improvement doesn’t happen without intention. When leaders don’t challenge the status quo or inspire learning, teams stop growing. Comfort becomes the goal—not excellence or mastery. Avoid this leadership dysfunction by resisting the pull of complacency and staying restless for what’s possible without settling for what’s familiar.
\ This story was previously published here. Follow me on LinkedIn or here for more stories.
