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STARS Model

Leadership / Tools · Updated Apr 2026

A framework for understanding what situation your organisation (or team) is in.

The Five Situations

Situation	What it means
Start-up	Building something from scratch. No existing systems, team, or customers.
Turnaround	Something is broken and needs to be fixed urgently. Crisis mode.
Accelerated Growth	Things are working but growing fast. Scaling challenges.
Realignment	The organisation isn't broken but has drifted. Needs refocusing.
Sustaining Success	Things are going well. The challenge is maintaining and evolving.

Why It Matters

Each situation requires different leadership approaches:

Start-up: Build fast, accept chaos, hire generalists.
Turnaround: Make hard decisions quickly, focus on survival.
Accelerated Growth: Build process, hire specialists, don't break what works.
Realignment: Build urgency for change in a comfortable team.
Sustaining Success: Prevent complacency, invest in innovation.

How to Use It

Identify which situation you're in.
Adjust your leadership style to match.
Recognise that different parts of the organisation may be in different situations.

From The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins.

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