Leader Analysis

In today’s complex and fast-moving business world, clarity of organizational goals is not a luxury but a necessity. Leaders are constantly faced with the challenge of aligning employees, managers, customers, and stakeholders toward a common direction.

When clarity is missing, organizations drift, employees disconnect, and strategies falter. But when leaders provide focus and communicate purpose, organizations gain momentum and unity.

Recent examples from technology, consumer businesses, publishing, education, and the food industry show how leaders are navigating this challenge, offering powerful lessons on leadership in action.

Your Boss Doesn’t Have Time to Talk to You

“An important part of the business leader is to direct the energies of the employees.”

The number of managers in the U.S. has dropped by 6% in the last three years, and less than 50% of employees feel that they know what is expected of them—down from 56% at the start of 2020.

Middle management cuts are reshaping organizations:

• Google cut 35% of small-team managers.
• Amazon and Intel eliminated 50% of management.
• Match Group cut about 20%.
• Bank of America and United Parcel Service also made deep cuts.

These companies argue they are empowering employees with autonomy. But the cost is stretched managers and disconnected employees. Without human contact, guidance, and coaching, people lose sight of organizational goals.

The leadership lesson: removing bureaucracy must not mean removing human connection. Leaders must still help people understand expectations and align their individual goals with the larger organizational mission.

Whitney Wolfe Herd and Bumble’s Balancing Act

Sometimes, the goals of customers and the goals of the business are not obviously aligned.

Bumble went public in 2021 during COVID, making Whitney Wolfe Herd the youngest CEO to take a company to IPO. From a peak of $13 billion, Bumble’s market cap has since fallen to $660 million.

The business model of dating apps is uniquely difficult:

• Users who succeed in finding relationships leave the platform.
• The company risks revenue loss when it fulfills its core promise.

Bumble also struggled when it relied heavily on marketing promotions, attracting many new users who did not integrate well with the existing base. This diluted the experience and reinforced the perception of Bumble as just a hookup app.

Wolfe Herd argues that success itself is the best marketing: when people find real relationships, more users are drawn to the platform.

The leadership challenge: keep organizational goals aligned with customer goals—and if not, take proactive steps to realign.

Dire Wolves, Vampires, and the Power of Reader Alignment

Even in publishing, the same principle applies: align with your audience.

The book Dire Bound was published in February 2025. In less than 90 days it was:

• Acquired through a seven-figure deal.
• Sold to a major UK publishing house.
• Licensed to 19 foreign-language publishers worldwide.

Authors Storm Stone and Eliza Phillips succeeded because they sought feedback before launch. They gave away 1,500 advance copies on Book Funnel, listened to readers, and even reshaped characters based on feedback.

This openness set the stage for success. The same applies to business: whether launching an app, releasing a product, or rebranding, leaders must invite feedback early and often.

“Leadership is about alignment: you and the people who follow you must be moving in the same direction.”

Yale’s Private Equity Strategy and the Danger of Drifting

Yale’s endowment under David Swensen produced a 13.1% annual return over 36 years. His disciplined strategy limited private equity exposure to around 30% while maintaining diversification.

Other Ivy League schools copied Yale’s approach but lost Swensen’s discipline. They over-invested in private equity. Now, many of their funds are locked into underperforming assets, while public markets have outpaced them.

This is what happens when organizations imitate without clarity:

• Copying goals without understanding the rationale.
• Drifting away from the philosophy that made the strategy succeed.
• Losing the benefits of a model by chasing only the results.

The leadership lesson: goals must be well-defined, with clear rationale. Future leaders must understand not just what the organization is doing, but why.

Kraft Heinz Splits for Focus

Kraft Heinz manages nearly 200 brands across 55 categories in 150 countries. In 2015, Kraft and Heinz merged, chasing scale and distribution synergies.

But in September 2025, Kraft Heinz announced it will split into two companies:

• One focused on sauces.
• One focused on grocery items in North America.

Shares fell 7% on the breakup news and are down 27% over the past year. Warren Buffett, once a supporter of the merger, is skeptical of the split, arguing it may not create real customer value.

The reason for the split is simple: lack of focus. Too many businesses made it impossible to deliver value across all fronts.

The leadership insight: growth and diversification should never come at the cost of clarity. Leaders must always ask—are we focused, or are we scattered?

Conclusion: Leading with Clarity and Focus

Across all these stories, one theme stands out: clarity of organizational goals is the foundation of effective leadership.

• Middle managers cut? Leaders must connect employees to the mission.
• A dating app balancing love and revenue? Leaders must align with customers.
• Authors chasing readers? Leaders must listen to feedback.
• Ivy League funds drifting? Leaders must define goals with discipline.
• A food giant splitting up? Leaders must preserve focus.

Clarity connects individual effort to collective purpose. Focus prevents distraction and dilution. And alignment ensures that employees, managers, customers, and stakeholders move in the same direction.

Leaders who consistently provide clarity of purpose are the ones who will keep their organizations from drifting and instead propel them toward meaningful success.