Every CEO of a growing B2B tech, software, or services company knows the story: In the early days, it was “all hands on deck.” Everyone rallied around one mission – landing that next customer, building that next feature, keeping the lights on. Departments? Hardly. It was one scrappy team wearing every hat at once. Fast forward a few years: success happened, revenue climbed, headcount ballooned. You did what any prudent leader would – you brought in specialists. You built departments for marketing, sales, product, finance, and more, each optimized for efficiency. And it worked, for a while. Until suddenly, growth stalled. The momentum slowed, finger-pointing started, and that electric “one team” vibe fizzled. Welcome to the specialization trap.