Zane Sigafoos has spent his career inside companies of every size, from global corporations to local startups, and he kept running into the same problem. Growth exposes the cracks in how people work together. In this episode, Zane shares why most businesses don’t stall because of strategy or effort, but because the human side of execution isn’t intentionally designed.

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From Corporate Leadership to a Clearer Mission

Zane’s career began in mechanical engineering and led quickly into management roles inside a large, publicly traded corporation. While the experience gave him valuable insight into leadership and operations, it also showed him the downside of profit-first decision making when people become numbers instead of teammates.

After leaving that environment, Zane worked in smaller private companies, expecting the problems to disappear. Instead, he found the same patterns repeating at different scales. Those experiences shaped his belief that size doesn’t fix dysfunction, clarity does.

The Human Mechanics of Execution

Zane describes his work as tuning the “human mechanics of execution.” While companies invest heavily in systems, processes, and talent, they often overlook alignment, trust, communication, and decision-making.

Even the most talented team will struggle if everyone is pulling in different directions. Without clear leadership and shared priorities, execution slows, frustration grows, and momentum is lost.

Why Growth Amplifies Problems

One of the most relatable ideas in this conversation is that growth doesn’t create chaos, it multiplies what’s already there. Small misalignments that are manageable at five people become overwhelming at fifty.

When leaders don’t clearly define who the company is and how decisions should be made, everything bottlenecks at the top. Teams wait for permission instead of acting, and the business feels like it’s taking one step forward and two steps back.

Leadership, Identity, and Long-Term Vision

Zane emphasizes that leadership sets the tone for everything downstream. Small leadership issues turn into large cultural problems, which is why clarity at the top matters so much.

We also talk about business identity, how knowing why you exist shapes everyday decisions, from customer experience to team behavior. Without that clarity, companies make short-term choices that don’t fit together long-term.

Trust, Autonomy, and Better Execution

A major theme of this episode is trust. When people understand expectations and are given clear boundaries, they can make decisions confidently. That autonomy speeds up execution, improves morale, and frees leaders to think further ahead instead of constantly putting out fires.

The result is a healthier business, one that can grow without losing its sense of purpose.

To learn more about Zane’s work and Summit Spring Partners, visit summitspringpartners.com.
To learn more about Mountain Mule Media and upcoming episodes, visit www.mountain-mule.com.

Mountain Mule Media is a production of Mountain Mule Transportation, connecting Montana businesses through authentic storytelling.