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Pam Marmon
3 Proven Tactics to Break the Growth Barriers in Your Organization
Do you want to grow your organization and achieve more impact? If you have accomplished success thus far and you are on a mission to reach more people, you understand that scaling an organization is expensive, time-consuming, and exhausting. There is never enough time in the day to read one more book, attend one more training, and listen to one more podcast. You need to grow, now!
If you are like me, the thought of “3 more things you have to do” overwhelms you with anxiety and frustration. You know that what got you here won’t get you where you want to go next, so you continue to persevere forward with a learning mindset and a “can do” attitude that leaders are made of.
Through my experience as an Organizational Effectiveness and Growth Management consultant, I’ve observed organizations of various sizes and industries, as they successfully scaled to reach new heights.
Let’s explore the 3 most important areas they mastered.
- People.
Your people are your biggest asset. The right people will take your organization to places that far outreach your imagination. Diversity of thoughts, backgrounds, and ideas enhance the quality of perspectives and helps you make strategic decisions. Apart from the obvious characteristics you need your team to exhibit, such as people who are knowledgeable, trust-worthy, and overall a great culture-fit, there is one superior characteristic that will drive your organization to growth.
Ownership.
To cultivate a culture of ownership, people must demonstrate entrepreneurial behaviors. Entrepreneurs obsess about their organizations. They have a stake in the game, an investment, and a higher level of commitment. Your role as a leader is to demonstrate those behaviors yourself, foster incentives that awaken an entrepreneurial mindset and encourage others to think and behave like owners.
What can your organization change to cultivate an entrepreneurial environment?
- Strategy.
If you don’t know where your organization is going, you will end up somewhere. Do you want to leave that to chance? This is why successful organizations that scale well host quarterly strategic sessions to define the future path, review what needs fixing, and align on goals and objectives.
If this is so important, why isn’t every organization doing it?
Because you will need to stop all the important and urgent things you are already undertaking, and invest time in important and yet not urgent matters. Busy organizations are not productive organizations. Strategically aligned organizations, where people talk to each other, and do what is best for the collective interest of the organization, are productive. They have less re-work, less internal strife, and less time putting out fires.
If you want to scale your organization, host a quarterly strategic session (download free template here) and cascade information throughout your organization. Listen, learn, and continuously adjust the plan.
How can your organization gather data necessary for a successful strategic session?
- Execution.
Execution eats strategy for breakfast. Great ideas are worthless if not executed well. Execution is about discipline, accountability, and consequences. It’s about operational excellence and resolving the bottlenecks in your organization. It’s about purposeful meetings, completed tasks, visibility to status, and recognition when milestones are met. It’s ok to run a tight ship and reward people for a job well done!
If you want your company to excel in execution, create a culture where high-achievers thrive. Set the expectation that when commitments are made, people are held accountable and rewarded. It’s ok to make mistakes as long as we learn, adjust, and move on. Execution is about getting things done.
How is your organization rewarding teams that excel in the area of execution?
A company I worked with did just that. They attracted people with entrepreneurial mindset, set a captivating strategy and communicated it frequently, and help people accountable for execution by rewarding them with meaningful work and autonomy allowing them to achieve mastery. This created a healthy environment with no internal competition and genuine interest in the success of everyone. Does this sound too good to be true? A healthy, thriving organization leads to growth.
It is hard to get people, strategy, and execution flawless. But if you want to grow and scale your organization, you need to transition how you’ve done things in the past and look towards the future.
Most importantly, remember your why! You need a compelling reason to anchor when the storms come and the inevitable challenges shake your position. Your people will persevere, your strategy will guide you, and your execution will help you get there.
Are you up for this leadership challenge? Your mission is worth it.