Built to Grow
A Survival Manual for Growing Companies
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CEOs of growing companies face all the challenges that come with success: they need to scale their organization, to go regional, national, or global, to recruit and develop the right team as they scale, to build a great culture, to work effectively with their board, and to lead by influencing others rather than doing it all themselves. Success requires specific behaviors and changes to take on each new challenge along the way. Read More
Early in my career, I assumed that all business growth was good; I assumed bigger was always better. After a $1 billion bankruptcy, it’s safe to say that I was wrong. Looking back, I can see that we stumbled and fell over the same fundamental issues that I see growing companies tripping over today. Read More
In business life, one of the greatest challenges is having difficult conversations. And for many managers, firing someone is the hardest conversation of them all. But you cannot build a great business without a strong team – that means learning how to let people go. Read More
Do you have the leadership and managerial talent needed to grow your business? Developing your high-potential employees helps meet one of the biggest challenges of rapidly growing organizations: the ongoing need for leadership talent. Read More
Much of what we believe about what it takes to scale a successful company and keep it growing is just plain wrong. Despite all the conventional wisdom about the greatness of America’s entrepreneurial culture, the fact is most companies start small and stay that way. Read More
I have witnessed numerous highflying companies come crashing to the ground. Through these experiences, I’ve learned a fundamental truth: Businesses don’t fail. Leaders fail. Nearly all leaders who preside over struggling businesses slip into several leadership traps on the way down. These traps can be so destructive that they can overshadow a leader’s strengths. Read More
Of course there’s no alarm that’s going to go off to warn of an impending business disaster. But there are many clues. As the leader of a growing business, you need to be on the lookout for these clues because these common mistakes are critical signals that foreshadow catastrophe. Read More
As a leader, it doesn’t matter how talented and successful you are, you are going to make mistakes. Over the last 20 years, I have had the opportunity to run various businesses and to work with or coach numerous business leaders in a broad range of industries. Through this experience, I have seen that even great leaders struggle through periods where they veer off course. Read More
Along with the rise of electronic communication in the workplace, I’ve observed a disturbing trend: leaders using technology where leadership is required. And the result is dysfunctional leaders and dysfunctional organizations. The more that a leader relies on technology in personal interactions, the less personal and less effective he becomes. Read More
When you’re clawing your way to the top, it’s easy to cling to the illusion that you’ll have everything figured out when you get there. But when you get there, you find out some things remain unknown or uncomfortable. As talented, experienced, and motivated as you are, you are only one person. It can seem like there’s nowhere else to turn. The top job can be overwhelming. People jump from the top floors in buildings, not the bottom floors. Read More
