Structure Is What Makes Speed Possible

^{This 3-minute read brought to you by the team at Rogue Pine}

The Myth of Moving Fast

“Move fast and break things” sounds like a fun and exciting growth strategy—until the thing that breaks is your team.

In a recent conversation on the Grow Rogue podcast, former Coca-Cola global marketing leader Elena Pinakatt shares a pattern she sees repeatedly in high-growth companies: 

Teams aren’t slow. They’re exhausted. 

This isn’t because they lack urgency, but because everyone is running fast in different directions.

Speed without alignment doesn’t create momentum. It creates friction and exhaustion.

When Growth Outpaces the Operating Backbone

Elena describes working with companies whose ambition had outgrown their systems. What once worked at an early startup stage became unsustainable as teams, markets, and complexity increased.

Her metaphor says it best: It’s like running a marathon made up of endless 100-meter sprints.

Without structure—clear roles, defined priorities, and distinct decision paths—speed turns into chaos.

Why Structure Enables (Not Kills) Speed

Structure isn’t bureaucracy. It’s a shared direction.

When teams know how decisions get made and what “good” looks like, they stop wasting energy on confusion and start moving together. The result is cleaner handoffs, fewer resets, and real progress.

Structure turns motion into momentum.

Psychological Safety Is a Leadership Responsibility

High-performance teams don’t thrive on pressure alone.

They thrive on psychological safety. This is the confidence in knowing that people can speak up, ask for help, and experiment without fear.

Elena emphasized that safety disappears when teams lose trust in each other. Silence is often more about fear than blind agreement.

Humility Builds Trust

The foundation of psychological safety is leadership humility.

Admitting what you don’t know. Relying on your team’s expertise. Making learning more important than looking smart.

Leaders don’t need all the answers, but they do need the courage to learn out loud.

The Takeaway

If you want speed, don’t remove structure.
If you want performance, don’t ignore trust.

Build systems that align people and give them the safety to move fast together.

Be sure to listen to the Grow Rogue podcast episode with Elena Pinakatt and connect with her on LinkedIn.