10 Maxims of Successful Scaling Up Clients
As the owner of a growing business, you know how hard it is to consistently scale. You face the external challenges of expensive marketing, erratic revenue streams, inflation, and capacity constraints. Internally, you wonder why even your most senior and highly compensated employees don’t “get it” and “want it” as badly as you do. A “B Player mentality,” even among those who consider themselves A Players, is the real culprit here. It’s more insidious than most business owners will openly admit. This combination of factors can lead even the most seasoned business owners with sound profits to wonder if they have the right stuff to take a business to the next level of growth and abundance. If your business is facing emerging financial pressures, this feeling gets compounded. To the outside world, the business looks great, but only you, as the owner and CEO, feel the weight of all these pressures and strains. You know somehow the business could be more fun to operate and could be even bigger and better. But how? Even the most successful businesses have millions of dollars of potential value trapped inside of them. It is an injustice to leave this value untapped inside your business only to have it exploited by the next owner. However, with the right growth platform, process, and people, you can unlock it so you can enjoy the abundance your business has to offer both now and when you are ready to sell it for maximum value. The great news is with the right plans and disciplines, this is all possible! As the CEO and owner of one of the top Scaling Up Certified Coaching practices in the world, I recently reflected on the attributes of our absolutely best clients over the years—the clients who spectacularly scaled their businesses, made them run with the precision of a Swiss watch, and had tremendous strategic valuations, even in the face of adversity. These exceptional clients consistently demonstrate key qualities and adhere to fundamental maxims that set them apart, drive their success, reduce their stress, and enable them to enjoy the ride.
They Take Ownership
Don’t blame anyone or anything else in the face of challenges. Jim Collins describes this mindset as the Stockdale Paradox in Good to Great:
Every good-to-great company faced significant adversity along the way to greatness…In every case, the management team responded with a powerful psychological duality. On the one hand, they stoically accepted the brutal facts of reality. On the other hand, they maintained an unwavering faith in the endgame and a commitment to prevail as a great company despite the brutal facts.
Likewise, our best CEOs and teams confidently select the best business growth and value creation platform in Scaling Up and never blame the tool when the going gets tough. Instead, they look inward to their own People, Strategy, and Execution to drive the Growth, Profits, Cash, and Valuation they desire. This ownership mindset ensures they stay resilient and proactive in overcoming obstacles and achieving their goals.
The CEO Knows What They Want and Doesn’t Placate Their Team
This maxim is tied to the above. In most Scaling Up engagements, there is either a point:
In both cases the key is to consistently drive forward. Just like in sports, the three main ingredients to winning are People (talent), a winning Strategy, and flawless Execution.
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Here is what happens all too often: We find there are 1–3 people on the executive team who are holding the company back. It sounds like: “We don’t have time for this, we have to get back to work.” If you unpack that, they’re saying, “We want to execute the old plan.” Meanwhile, the CEO can’t figure out why they can’t move the company forward. Keep in mind, the Lilliputians will tear you down!
Our best CEOs carry the mantra, “We are committed to Scaling Up.” When your team begins to whine because of healthy stress, instead of making practice easier, audit their strategic plans and results and challenge them to be better.
As the great Jim Rohn said, “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”
They Are Not B Player Apologists
Aligned with the above maxim, successful Scaling Up clients understand that you simply cannot win with non-A Players. The C Players on your team should be obvious upgrade opportunities.
Our best leaders of Scaling Up firms do not tolerate basic B-level performance and upgrade these team members through coaching, role changes, or personnel changes. Many clients overestimate the talent of their teams when they start with us. “What got you here won’t get you there.”
Unfortunately, B Players can kill Scaling Up engagements and stall your momentum because they lack both strategic thinking and execution skills. They cannot conceive winning strategies, nor can they execute them. We have found that cultures with B Player mindsets are the silent killers of organizations, as the mediocrity dries up profits and drives A Players away.
By maintaining a team of A Players, our best clients ensure they have the talent necessary to drive success and achieve their ambitious goals.
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