Business Owner: Our Team Survey Shocked Us

September 4, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Jennifer Scurry, co-founder of a hospice care company in Indiana, ran a clinical survey of her staff and got back an overwhelming "no" when asked if leadership was enabling them to perform their jobs to their satisfaction. The problem, she discovered, was middle management: communication was breaking down, answers changed depending on who you asked, and team members did not trust their direct leaders. Worse, some middle managers had been heard saying they did not understand why the frontline team could not get their jobs done, because the work "is easy." The survey results were news to Jennifer, which itself set off alarms.

The conversation with coach John Felkins quickly zeroed in on a root cause: role clarity. When Jennifer and her business partner created a Key Result Area (KRA) document listing job duties, and then asked their managers to do the same, the two documents were "complete opposites." The director of professional services wrote about benchmarking patient satisfaction and team camaraderie; her own manager listed ordering supplies and managing the on-call calendar. The business was running on tasks, not vision, and the disconnect between what leadership thought people were doing and what they actually did had eroded trust.

The North Star First: Strategic Planning as a Clarity Tool

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What you'll learn

1 (00:46) **The Shocking Survey Results** - Jennifer Scurry, co-founder of a hospice care company, shares that a clinical leadership survey returned overwhelming "no" answers on whether team members can perform their jobs to satisfaction.
2 (02:53) **Mapping the Chain of Command** - John Felkins asks Jennifer to explain the organizational structure from top to frontline.
3 (04:02) **What Middle Management Needs to Succeed** - John probes what the middle clinical team requires to lead the frontline effectively.
4 (05:36) **Strategic Planning: The 12-Month and 3-5 Year View** - John introduces a structured approach to setting directional clarity for the business.
5 (10:13) **Role Clarity as a Strategic Initiative** - John connects the strategic planning process directly to Jennifer's current problem.
6 (12:01) **Micromanagement vs. Training: The Critical Distinction** - Jennifer asks when she and Jamie should step back in, and John reframes the question entirely.
7 (14:52) **Final Encouragement and Next Steps** - John closes with a framework for creating clarity, alignment, and accountability as teams grow.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

John Felkins

Show Notes

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When leadership breaks down in the middle, confusion spreads through the entire organization.

In this episode, Head Coach John Felkins coaches a business owner through how to identify gaps in her leadership structure, create greater role clarity, and equip her managers to lead with confidence.

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