When Growth Stalls – How Executive Leadership Advisory Helps Companies Move Forward

Rapid technological progress, the rise of AI, and hybrid work models are reshaping how organizations operate. Data becomes more accessible, and decisions are more informed than ever before. Yet one thing remains constant: technology cannot replace the human factors that ultimately determine whether a company grows or stalls.

Leadership is still about turning vision into reality through people. Defining strategy is not enough – leaders must build environments where teams understand shared goals, believe in them, and feel motivated to contribute. This becomes especially evident when companies feel stuck: the issue is often not a lack of ideas or resources, but internal misalignment.

This is where executive leadership advisory plays a critical role. Elena Putilina works with organizations at precisely these moments – helping leaders see their teams more clearly and get everyone moving in the same direction. At the core of her approach is a powerful belief: companies scale when people do.

From medical training to leading global organizations

Elena’s professional journey began in medicine, where she earned a Doctor of Medicine degree. Medical training taught her not to rush into solutions, but to identify root causes first – a diagnostic mindset that now underpins how she works with organizations undergoing transformation.

She later transitioned into the pharmaceutical industry, where she helped launch and scale a wholesale business in a highly competitive market, reaching approximately $600 million in revenue. 

Her next major chapter was at Tupperware Brands, where she spent fourteen years as Area Vice President CIS and General Manager. Under her leadership, the business expanded across four countries and built a network of more than 200 distributorships with a sales force exceeding 100,000 consultants.

A key driver of that growth was the Tupperware Business School, later developed into an Academy in collaboration with a state university. It created a structured path for leadership development, where people from diverse backgrounds could become entrepreneurs. The model combined training with strong engagement, recognition, and trust – reinforcing the belief that sustainable growth is built on people motivated to improve.

Turning corporate experience into leadership advisory

After decades in corporate leadership, Elena chose to apply her experience more broadly. By that point, she had combined hands-on executive work with advanced education in leadership, including programs at the Center for Creative Leadership and IMD Business School. This foundation shaped her next step: helping companies navigate growth and transformation.

She founded E-Inspiration, an advisory practice focused on leadership development, business scaling, and change management. Her clients range from global corporations such as Pfizer, Novartis, Sandoz, ExxonMobil, Nintendo, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries to fast-growing smaller businesses.

Clients often reach out to her when their companies start to outgrow their current setup. Elena works at the intersection of strategy and human dynamics, helping leaders clarify priorities, identify strengths within their teams, and create conditions for those strengths to translate into results. Ultimately, her work is about unlocking potential – within CEOs, teams, and the organization as a whole.

Corporate transformation at scale

In large organizations, requests typically involve change management – for example, when transitioning to activity-based workplaces. Transformation unfolds across departments and functions. Such complex programs can take up to two years, and their real complexity lies in the human dimension. As employees are expected to adapt to new ways of working, ensuring their well-being becomes one of the advisor’s key responsibilities. 

The advisor works with leadership teams to ensure consistency in how change is communicated and implemented. A central element of this approach is building internal support structures, particularly through Change Champions – employees with strong communication skills, credibility, and an action-oriented mindset. Organizations are typically encouraged to nominate these individuals themselves, as they understand their teams best.

As Elena explains, these champions act as a bridge between strategy and day-to-day operations. “We cannot see how the whole company works in practice, but they can. They understand the specifics of their departments, collect feedback from colleagues, and, when questions arise, inform us immediately so we can respond.”

Change Champions also play a critical role in driving adoption. They are often the first to test new approaches – whether a new IT system or a different working model – and demonstrate them in practice. Employees are far more likely to embrace change when they see trusted colleagues already using it.

Growth in founder-led companies

Founder-led companies often face a different challenge: resolving strategic bottlenecks that limit further growth. Entrepreneurs typically seek guidance on how to divide responsibilities, scale the business, and build a leadership team for new directions.

Advisor’s work focuses on helping founders rethink their role in the organization and shift from direct control to systems that can operate independently. The process often involves redefining roles and identifying internal leadership potential.

One example from Elena’s experience is a creative agency working with luxury brands. After reaching a growth plateau, the founders realized they could no longer manage every aspect of the business themselves. She advised appointing a managing director from within the existing team and redistributing responsibilities based on the founders’ strengths. And despite initial hesitation, this shift unlocked a new phase of development.

Inside the transformation process

Stage 1. Diagnostics

Key focus: understanding what the client truly wants and aligning the needs of different teams.

Every transformation begins with diagnostics – uncovering the real situation inside the organization. Requests may seem clear, but reality often differs. For example, a CEO may say they want to strengthen a team by hiring, while closer analysis reveals the real need is redesigning roles.

This is why diagnostics start with clarifying intent – and it takes time. Through strategic sessions, observation, and research, the executive leadership advisor works to define what the client is actually trying to achieve. This stage can determine up to 50 percent of a project’s success.

A key element here is being on the ground to see reality firsthand. As Elena puts it, not to “steer the ship from the shore,” but to “stay on board with the crew.” Leaders may describe their behavior one way, yet act differently in practice – for instance, believing they delegate effectively while constantly interrupting their teams.

Diagnostics also requires identifying multiple perspectives. In activity-based workplace projects, for example, some employees need quiet spaces for focused work, while others rely on open, collaborative environments. Some teams require minimal storage due to fully digital workflows, while others depend on larger lockers for daily materials. The advisor brings these perspectives together and helps companies make them work within one system.

Stage 2. Planning

Key focus: developing multiple paths to achieve the desired outcome, taking constraints and potential risks into account.

Once clarity is achieved, the process moves into planning. The first step is defining the goal correctly. In practice, leaders often frame goals as actions rather than outcomes. A CEO may decide that employees should work from the office two days a week without clearly articulating why.  The focus, therefore, is on translating such intentions into concrete, measurable results.

Planning, however, is never linear. Elena emphasizes the need to build multiple scenarios – Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. As she notes, “People who are new to transformation often expect it to unfold step by step, exactly as planned. In reality, equipment deliveries may be delayed, approvals may be postponed, and project scopes may be expanded – all of which affect timelines. Change management is about navigating change, not fixing everything upfront.”

To address this uncertainty, the concept of “exceptional temporary solutions” can be effective – testing short-term, non-standard approaches and evaluating which work best in practice.

A critical part of planning is aligning ambitions with constraints. No amount of urgency can make cable installation faster. The task is to identify these constraints across IT, operations, legal, and other functions early on, and to proactively assess risks and build buffers in advance.

Stage 3. Implementation

Key focus: gathering feedback and monitoring how different departments respond to changes in order to mitigate risks early.

Implementation is typically the longest stage, where plans are tested against reality. It is usually broken down into phases, with changes introduced gradually across departments rather than all at once.

As Elena explains, “We may be working within Plan A, B, or C, but we are constantly gathering feedback and refining next steps. We are in the open sea – and we never dock.” Communication, therefore, becomes essential at all levels, though with varying frequency. It may be weekly with key stakeholders, monthly with team leads, and quarterly with broader teams – but it must remain consistent.

Risk prevention becomes a central focus. Resistance is inevitable – some employees will respond with skepticism or discomfort. “The most important thing is to see risks early and respond,” Elena notes. Regular check-ins and feedback loops help address issues before they escalate. During this stage, Change Champions play a key role in surfacing concerns, as well as maintaining alignment on the ground.

A key responsibility of the advisor is to ensure that, despite this complexity, the entire organization continues to move in the right direction. Equally important is learning along the way – analyzing what works, identifying what does not, and ensuring the same mistakes are not repeated.

Stage 4. Follow-up

Key focus: identifying areas for further development, scaling what works, and refining what does not.

The process does not end with implementation. Once companies begin operating differently, new challenges and opportunities emerge. The advisor continues helping leaders during this period. As Elena explains, “If the project lasts six months, we usually extend our involvement for another two or three. If it’s a year-long transformation, it can last up to six months after. It doesn’t mean weekly meetings – but when questions accumulate, we work through them with our clients.”

In practice, follow-up often focuses on scaling what works and refining what does not. For example, a newly introduced technology may prove so effective that it is rolled out across all teams. In other cases, after transitioning to activity-based workplaces, employees spend significantly more time in informal, collaborative spaces than expected, pushing companies to repurpose areas into community zones.

Ultimately, follow-up is both a stabilization and a forward-looking phase. It ensures that the company continues to improve based on real-world use. Transformation becomes a long-term journey, evolving alongside the organization and its people.

Communication as the hidden driver of organizational growth

One of the most common barriers to organizational growth is ineffective communication. Up to 80 percent of conflicts stem from communication gaps rather than skill gaps. For instance, leaders may assume their teams are not capable or proactive enough, while employees feel they are not trusted – a disconnect that directly impacts productivity.

Much of advisors’ work, therefore, focuses on creating space for dialogue through strategic sessions and moderated discussions. In these settings, different sides are encouraged to recognize each other’s strengths and rebuild mutual trust.

Elena Putilina also uses role-play exercises to shift perspective. For example, she may ask employees to step into the role of CEO and propose concrete ideas for the company’s development – a technique that shifts thinking from limitation to ownership. Another approach draws on Disney-inspired frameworks that separate creative, managerial, and critical thinking. By deliberately reversing these roles – asking skeptics to think creatively and creative thinkers to focus on risks – teams begin to approach problems from new angles. This way, they uncover solutions that might otherwise remain hidden.

These sessions often reveal that organizations already have the talent they need to grow. The challenge lies in alignment and communication. This is why the ability to engage in clear, consistent dialogue with teams is a core skill for modern CEOs. As noted earlier, their role is to create an environment where employees feel valued and able to grow – something that requires not only informal interactions during corporate events, but also meaningful conversations about goals and development.

About the Author

Tatiana Petrushchenkova, a business and technology writer and content specialist with over 8 years of experience. Tatiana produces in-depth interviews, expert features, news articles, and social media content focused on emerging technologies, market trends, and business strategy. Her work combines strong editorial depth with an analytical perspective, helping readers navigate developments in AI, digital transformation, fintech, and other innovations. Prior to transitioning into journalism, she worked as an investment analyst at international venture funds, evaluating startups across multiple sectors and growth stages.