If you’re running a company, there’s always a non-zero amount of internal confusion.
It’s rarely loud. Usually it’s just a weird fog that slows everything down.
It manifests as:
Slower execution
Work getting scrapped or redone
Polite head-nods that hide disagreement
People burning out and wondering, “Why am I even doing this?”
And yet—everyone’s working hard. They’re just not working together.
No matter how well you document things, how many meetings you have, or how much context you think you’re sharing—it never fully goes away.
Honestly, I had at least 10 internal confusion conversations just last week. That’s not an exaggeration.
At a certain scale, I’d argue confusion becomes your biggest bottleneck.
Not capital. Not talent. Just… people not being on the same page.
The 3 Flavors of Confusion
There are probably more, but these are the main ones I keep seeing over and over:
🧩 Role Confusion | 🎯 Goal Confusion | 🔄 Contextual Confusion |
|---|---|---|
Who owns this? | What are we aiming for? | What changed and who knows? |
Tasks are unclear or orphaned. Multiple people think someone else is responsible. | Everyone’s working, but their definitions of “success” don’t match. | Priorities or plans shift, but not everyone is looped in. People act on stale info. |
The Anti-Confusion Stack
You’ll never eliminate confusion entirely. But you can get ahead of it. Here’s what’s worked for me:
Area of Responsibility docs
Everyone writes down what they actually own. Forces clarity. We use a notion template internally.
1on1s & All Hands (Realignment)
One of the best ways to run a meeting is around realignment. At the very least, you want your direct reports triaging their tasks and prioritising effectively.
We keep things aligned with 3 simple rituals:
All Hands: All the “heads of” walk through what they’re working on—across both the company and growth orgs.
The goal is context. Even if you’re not directly involved, you should know what’s in motion.
1on1s: This is where real alignment happens. We go over:
What got done last week
What’s planned for this week
Any blockers, questions, or focus shifts
It’s also a good space for managing up and catching misalignment early.
Daily Standups (15 mins max): Each person quickly shares:
What they did yesterday
What they’re doing today
Any blockers
Fast, regular pulses to catch drift before it snowballs.
Call out the flux
Be honest when things are changing. Reassure the team it’s normal.
Set Clear Goals
Define success early and track it in the open.
People need to know what “good” looks like—and where they stand.
Confusion isn’t loud. But it’s expensive.
Before you throw more people or money at the problem—ask if everyone’s even clear on what they’re building.
Don’t work harder. Work clearer.
Until next time,
Ajay
Ajay’s Resource Bank
A few tools and collections I’ve built (or obsessively curated) over the years:
100+ Mental Models
Mental shortcuts and thinking tools I’ve refined over the past decade. These have evolved as I’ve gained experience — pruned, updated, and battle-tested.100+ Questions
If you want better answers, ask better questions. These are the ones I keep returning to — for strategy, reflection, and unlocking stuck conversations.Startup OS
A lightweight operating system I built for running startups. I’m currently adapting it for growth teams as I scale Superpower — thinking about publishing it soon.Remote Games & Activities
Fun team-building exercises and games (many made in Canva) that actually work. Good for offsites, Zoom fatigue, or breaking the ice with distributed teams.
✅ Ajay’s “would recommend” List
These are tools and services I use personally and professionally — and recommend without hesitation:
Athyna – Offshore Hiring Done Right
I personally have worked with assistants overseas and built offshore teams. Most people get this wrong by assuming you have to go the lowest cost for automated work. Try hiring high quality, strategic people for a fraction of the cost instead.Superpower – It starts with a 100+ lab tests
I joined Superpower as Head of Growth, but I originally came on to fix my health. In return, I got a full diagnostic panel, a tailored action plan, and ongoing support that finally gave me clarity after years of flying blind.
