Through many years of consultative practice, in a variety of industries, locations, and economies; and through consistent research, we have identified a number of ways to effectively ruin a business, to destroy the dream held by principals and employees alike. Organizations focused on avoiding these pitfalls have a much higher degree of operating success resulting in much higher personal reward. The following list, compiled after years of management consulting activity, include ten common ways to ruin a business. The LaMarche Consulting Group is dedicated to overcoming each of them.

1. Leadership does not have a clear vision, mission, values and principles, or does not communicate the same.
2. Poor organizational structure wherein duties and responsibilities are not clear, individual jobs are not differentiated and true performance measurement systems are absent.
3. Leadership more involved in "doing" than in oversight.
4. Lack of trust and empowerment within the management team.
5. Lack of strategic, tactical and operational planning, and lack of marketing, market penetration, and client management planning.
6. Lack of succession planning and implementation.
7. Lack of a consistent monitoring of accountability, and performance measurement.
8. Slow or absence of decision-making.
9. Lack of identification and action focus upon the "Critical Few" key corporate issues.
10. Lack of management commitment to further develop management and supervisory skills.