Founders reward loyalty—but misplaced loyalty keeps the wrong people in critical roles. The Loyalty Trap is one of the most common patterns limiting growth in $5M-$50M companies, and it's costing you more than you think.

Founder-CEOs often mistake constant meetings for strategic planning. But without a connected system of annual goals, quarterly priorities, and weekly commitments, all those conversations create noise—not clarity. Here's how to fix it.