CORPORATE AMERICA EA NS GHTS I I BEHIND THE WALLS OF
rewrite the code
strategic debt
Strategic debt is what builds up when short-term output overrides long-term coherence. Like financial or technical debt, it builds up over time and leads to decreased morale, high turnover, missed goals, and stalled innovation if not addressed. It appears in duplicated decisions, contradictory messaging, delayed escalations, and cultural confusion. It shows up in day-to-day friction. We see it when projects need to be restarted because expectations were misaligned. We feel it when leaders give different instructions for the same initiative. It builds when clarity is replaced by urgency. And once embedded, it spreads.
To flag strategic debt early, here are thought-provoking questions to consider:
Track decision reversals and alignment loops: Are initiatives constantly going back and forth for clarification or rework? Audit meeting outcomes: Are meetings producing actionable clarity or more questions?
Spot unspoken workarounds: Are EAs, constantly rescheduling meetings?
Pause pattern detection: Has the team normalized extended work hours, rapid pivots, or shifting narratives?
With these questions top of mind, conduct a situational awareness audit:
situational awareness blind spots are real Many executives are highly focused on their deliverables, board demands, or P&L responsibilities. They often don't recognize the cognitive load they offload because it's not visible in a dashboard or KPI. Without structured feedback loops, their awareness is skewed. cognitive load & "split brain" Our brain is not tired because we are not capable, it’s tired because it's being asked to context-switch between conflicting executive needs, often in real time and across time zones. That’s a neuroscientific overload, not a personal failing. matrix environments create a false sense of redundancy To leaders, a multiple reporting line might seem like more “coverage.” But in reality, for the EA, it becomes an internal proxy war of prioritization, conflict resolution, and emotional labor that few leaders are trained to perceive let alone resolve. When these signals are present, strategic debt is active. The earlier it is called out, the faster it can be corrected. Normalizing it is the bigger risk. When repeated workarounds become standard practice, strategic debt becomes the culture.
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