Could a Seagull Be Slowing Down Your Team’s Success?

In more than two decades of advising business owners, leadership teams, and high-performing practices, I’ve written extensively about KPIs, strategic frameworks, and operational clarity. But the blog that generated the most calls, texts, and side conversations wasn’t about any of those.

It was about seagulls.

Not literal ones. The kind that swoop into your workplace, make a mess of the momentum, and fly off — leaving your team to clean up the confusion. It’s a term I used to describe a specific kind of employee or leader behavior that quietly (or sometimes loudly) drains progress, clarity, and morale.

I’ve had CEOs, practice owners, and team leads tell me, “Kevin… I read that seagull blog. I think I’ve got one.” Others admitted they might be the seagull themselves. That post struck a nerve — not because it was clever, but because it named something real that people didn’t know how to talk about.

It’s time to revisit why this seemingly simple idea hit home for so many — and why addressing it might be the smartest leadership move you make this year.

Seagulls Only Exist Because You Allow Them

A seagull in your team is a person whose behaviors — however unintentional — create friction, foster negativity, and destabilize progress. They often don’t realize the impact they’re having, and to be fair, leadership doesn’t always confront it directly.

But here’s the truth: seagulls only exist in your workplace because you allow them to.

This doesn’t mean you’re endorsing their behavior or avoiding action — it simply means you haven’t made a definitive decision to intervene.

The most successful leaders I’ve worked with understand that leadership is a series of choices. One of the most important ones? Deciding what behaviors you will and won’t tolerate in your culture.

CEO-Level Thinking Requires Cultural Defense

At Leverage Consulting, I often reference a concept called CEO-Level Thinking — the ability to see the ripple effect of every decision, hire, and tolerated behavior.

In that framework, protecting your culture isn’t just about inspirational words. It’s about defending clarity, focus, and performance — not just for you, but for the team you’ve built.

A seagull might be:

• A team member who constantly reopens solved problems

• A leader who parachutes into departments and derails plans with half-baked opinions

• A negative voice in meetings who never brings solutions — just sarcasm or skepticism

None of those are deal-breakers in isolation. But when they’re repeated and left unaddressed, they become cultural gravity wells. Over time, they pull down everything around them.

What This Looks Like in Real Life

I’ve seen teams with extraordinary potential plateau or lose key performers — not because the business model was broken, but because a seagull was creating friction no one wanted to confront.

• In one dental practice, the most experienced assistant was also the loudest complainer. New hires didn’t last long. The doctor was afraid of the transition cost, but once she made the decision to lead firmly, morale and retention improved almost overnight.

• In a fast-scaling consulting firm, a senior manager derailed meetings with unfiltered feedback and frequent interruptions. It took a structured 1-on-1, followed by clear expectations and coaching, to shift his presence from disruptive to constructive.

The turning point in both cases? A leader decided they were no longer okay with the cost of tolerating the behavior.

Who Needs to Hear This

This insight is for:

• Founders and CEOs who feel like something is slowing down their culture but can’t quite name it

• Practice owners watching good people leave or disengage while one individual remains at the center of disruption

• Managers and team leads who feel drained after every team meeting and wonder why they can’t gain momentum

If you’re in a position where you shape the team, lead the vision, or protect the operational rhythm — this is your work.

Leadership Requires Response

Here’s the bottom line: You are responsible for the energy and culture of your team. And if you feel like something’s off, it’s not just your imagination.

Seagulls have a way of stealing focus, repelling top talent, and eroding momentum in ways that metrics won’t always capture — until it’s too late.

But you’re not stuck. Once you remember that you have a choice, you can start leading again.

And if you’re ready to get clear, take action, and stop tolerating what’s been quietly stealing your team’s potential…

Let’s talk.

Sometimes a 30-minute conversation is all it takes to see the situation — and your options — more clearly.