Ep. 39 - Prioritizing Processes: Navigating the "Messy Middle" of Growth
- Chad Lingafelt
- Jul 17, 2025
- 3 min read
As a business grows, what once worked seamlessly can quickly descend into chaos. This inflection point, often referred to as the "messy middle," is where the need for clear, documented processes becomes paramount. In a recent "Unlocked" podcast episode, hosts Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe in Alberta, Tony from Assured Security in Minnesota, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security in Charlotte, NC, shared their insights on navigating this critical phase.
The Chaos of the "Messy Middle" Lars defined the "messy middle" as the stage where a business grows beyond 12-15 people. At this point, the owner can no longer be actively involved in every decision. When employees start making independent decisions without a shared playbook, frustration mounts, and processes diverge. Tony emphasized that trying to implement processes at 50 people is exponentially harder than at 5 or 7, highlighting the urgency of early adoption. The core problem: tribal knowledge walking out the door with employee turnover, leaving new hires—and the business itself—struggling.
Documenting for Clarity and Consistency The first step in taming the chaos is documenting existing processes. The hosts discussed several approaches:
Whiteboarding: Lars uses large whiteboards to visually map out workflows step-by-step, identifying clunky spots and ambiguities.
AI Tools: Leveraging AI like ChatGPT (or Microsoft's Copilot/Google's Gemini) can significantly streamline documentation. By recording conversations and feeding the transcripts to AI, businesses can quickly generate summarized process documents.
Screen Recording: Tools like Loom, a free screen recorder, are invaluable for capturing computer-related tasks, allowing users to narrate steps as they perform them.
Dedicated Software/Storage: Housing these documents in centralized, searchable locations like OneDrive with organized folders (e.g., "written processes" by department) ensures accessibility.
Key Principles for Effective Process Creation:
Involve Frontline Staff: This was a critical takeaway. As Lars learned from a previous mistake, processes developed by management alone often miss crucial frontline steps. The people actually doing the task must be actively involved to ensure accuracy and buy-in.
Start High-Level, Then Detail: Begin by outlining the major "nodes" or steps in a process (e.g., "quote approved," "installation"). Then, dive into the 40+ granular steps within each node. Using sticky notes, as in the "ideal method," can help visualize and organize these micro-steps.
Make it Easy to Follow: Chad and Lars reiterated the wisdom of "Uncle Glenn": if a process is too hard or complicated, people will simply abandon it. Simplicity is key to adoption.
Getting People to Use Processes Documentation alone is insufficient; getting people to use the processes is the biggest hurdle. Lars admitted his own struggle with this, often jumping straight into action rather than consulting a documented process. The solution lies in:
Consistent Review: Processes are living documents. Regular review (e.g., weekly, monthly, or quarterly) is essential to ensure they remain current and relevant (avoiding obsolete instructions like "send a fax").
Leadership Buy-in and Communication: Owners and managers must continuously emphasize the "why" behind processes—consistent growth, reduced errors, easier onboarding, and a more resilient business. They need to integrate processes into daily operations, not just relegate them to dusty folders.
Prioritizing processes is a painful but necessary investment for growth. It builds a robust framework that supports consistent performance, mitigates the impact of employee turnover, and ultimately allows a business to scale efficiently and effectively.
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