If you’re accountable for a delivery system — as a project or program manager, delivery lead, or product owner — this article is for you. You’re the one expected to spot when performance drifts, when energy dips, and when a once-vibrant system starts running on autopilot.

When a delivery system gets flagged as failing, it rarely happens with a dramatic bang. More often, it’s the result of slow erosion — a gradual drift into underperformance. The people and processes didn’t suddenly forget how to deliver; they simply adapted to inefficiencies over time until the system settled into mediocrity.

It’s a quiet slide, built from hundreds of small, rational compromises — “we’ll fix that later”, “it’s close enough”, “let’s just move on” — that eventually redefine what’s considered acceptable. When that happens, the organisation, the team, and the culture all stabilise around a new, lower baseline of performance.

If this sounds familiar — or you want to avoid getting there — read on.

1. The Drift Toward “Good Enough”

When targets are met and the dashboard looks green, it’s easy to assume everything’s fine. But “fine” isn’t excellent — and when fine becomes acceptable, improvement grinds to a halt. The meetings continue, reports are filed, cadence ticks on — but the spark that drives adaptation fades.

If you’re accountable for a system like this, you’ll notice clues: risks that get logged but never resolved, ideas that dry up, feedback loops that feel procedural. The system stops learning.

Look, I get it — deadlines, milestones, release windows — these are all real pressures. But when you lose the space to improve, learn, and optimise the system, people stop trying. They stop thinking beyond survival mode, and your people disengage — they stop caring. You lose their discretionary effort, and they start doing just enough to get by. The system drifts toward stagnation.

This dynamic isn’t new. John Kotter’s A Sense of Urgency (2008) reminds us that real urgency isn’t about frantic energy or panic — it’s about quiet, focused commitment to meaningful progress. Without that, teams drift into “false urgency” (busyness) or complacency (comfort). And as Parkinson’s Law famously puts it, work expands to fill the time available — without clear focus, momentum disappears.

2. Here’s What You Can Do

Action 1: Be Present Where It Matters — Stop Leading from the Sidelines.
When was the last time you asked your team for permission to be a fly on the wall — to just listen without judgment? Leaders can’t be invisible ghosts. Presence matters.

I once worked with a manager whose team had fractured into open conflict. The solution wasn’t another governance meeting; it was him showing up — being there when debates flared so he could help guide them back to constructive discussion before they turned destructive.

The lesson? Leaders need to be near the work, but not in the way. They must participate without distorting the system — observing patterns, tone, and flow without micromanaging. Your presence should steady the team, not spook it.

Action 2: Know Your Numbers — Capacity, Demand, and Flow.
Do you know how much demand your system has, and what capacity you actually have to serve it? If you can’t answer that with data, you’re guessing. Start there.

You don’t need enterprise dashboards or data scientists — just patterns over time. How much work comes in? How much gets done? What’s the lag? Are people overloaded or under-utilised? Leaders who know these basics make better trade-offs and protect their people from hidden burnout.

This isn’t about micromanaging people — it’s about managing the system. You’re not counting hours — you’re clarifying limits. Numbers create focus and fairness.

Action 3: Create Real Urgency — Lead, Don’t Chase.
Not every leader is loud or charismatic, but if you’re leading and no one’s following, you’re just managing. Good management is fine, but great leadership adds energy. It gives people something to move toward.

Urgency doesn’t mean chaos. It’s purpose. Set short-term goals, visible targets, or small wins that bring focus. Recognise achievement, not activity. Kotter called this true urgency — the calm determination to move on what matters now. Combine that with clear data and human connection — that’s the formula for momentum.

Action 4: Engineer Constructive Discomfort.
Discomfort is a signal that growth is happening. When things feel too calm for too long, your system is coasting. It’s time to introduce stretch.

Be a provocateur — not reckless, but intentional. Ask tougher questions. Hand stretch opportunities to rising stars and let them test the system’s limits. Recognise those who lean into learning, not just those who hit safe metrics. For those content with stability, show appreciation when they deliver steady reliability — and occasionally invite them to stretch too.

Constructive discomfort turns routine into renewal. It’s how leaders keep systems alive.

3. The Payoff: Energy, Engagement, and Outcomes

Systems don’t degrade overnight, and they don’t recover overnight either. But with deliberate observation, small interventions, and consistency, you can pull a “good enough” system back into performance.

And here’s the thing — improvement doesn’t come from grand, one-off initiatives. It’s the small, almost silly-sounding actions done with discipline that build real momentum. When you walk the floor, talk with people, and take time to listen, you reconnect to what’s actually happening. When you make work visible — with data, boards, or simple measures — you start to reveal the truth of your system. And when you recognise and reward the right behaviours, you reinforce the standards you want to see.

In one low-performing team I worked with, we began with something so simple it almost felt naïve — a team charter and a monthly award recognising someone who embodied it. The first award felt awkward. The second got attention. By the third, it had become a big deal — people were sharing it with their line managers as proof of their contribution. None of these actions alone transformed the culture, but done consistently, they built momentum, pride, and energy.

That’s the essence of delivery leadership — the small, consistent acts that compound into trust and performance. MIT Sloan’s research on adaptive performance backs this up: feedback loops and clarity of purpose sustain team energy far longer than pressure or panic.

Final word: A delivery leader’s job isn’t just to keep the lights on — it’s to walk the line between nurturing and provoking. You’re leading a system full of people with different motivations: some will always want to stretch and learn, others will be content to simply do what’s asked. Your challenge is to manage both — to care for your people while also strategically adding enough tension, spice, and energy to keep the system alive.

The art of delivery leadership lies in knowing when to nudge, when to steady, and when to step back. Some days it’s about being patient and supportive. Other days, it’s about being the provocateur — sparking discomfort that drives growth. Get that balance right and you’ll unlock a team that not only delivers but learns, adapts, and improves continuously.

Good luck — and I hope you finish this piece feeling motivated to raise the bar. Because “good enough” is not good enough for you.