Scaffolding in Leadership & Life

I recently returned from Italy and was fortunate to experience Michelangelo's David. The experience is awe-inspiring. Coincidentally, I'm reading Adam Grant's "Hidden Potential" and had completed the segment on the use of "scaffolding" to reach our potential a few days before our visit.

As I stood in front of David, lost in amazement of the exquisiteness and perfection of this masterpiece created during Michelangelo's first attempt, I thought about how he used scaffolding to execute his vision. Our tour guide and subsequent research taught me that during 1501-1504, Michelangelo used scaffolding in these ways:

• Michelangelo erected scaffolding around the massive block of marble that he was carving, which allowed him to access all angles and elevations of his sculpture, and enabled him to carve the higher regions of the 17-foot tall statue.
• Michelangelo could adjust the height of the scaffolding which gave him tight control of his sightlines as he shaped the proportions and details of David's figure.
• Michelangelo used the scaffold to step back and assess his progress throughout, and make necessary adjustments.
• The scaffolding was as essential to the success of the project as all of his other tools because it gave him the physical access and vantage points required to bring his vision to life.

Scaffolding is a powerful metaphor and strategy for leadership and entrepreneurship. Just as physical scaffolding provides essential support and structure in construction, business scaffolding provides the necessary framework and support to help a business become established and to grow.

Here are a few ways you can implement and leverage scaffolding in your own life, regardless of your age or stage.

Community

I've always been transparent about my need for support in all aspects of my life. My relationships and communities have been my lifelines as I've grown & matured, personally and professionally.

Conversely, I get great joy in functioning as a scaffold for my coaching clients and client organizations when I serve as a source of guidance, support, wisdom, and insight for them.

Partnerships?

In business, partnerships and outsourcing organizations help us accomplish our objectives without diluting our focus on our core competencies, and ensure critical functions are handled by those that have the most expertise.

?Processes

Being intentional in creating results-focused processes is another important type of business scaffolding. So often, we see beautiful websites and slick marketing campaigns from companies that lack deep processes to actually perform and deliver their work.

Our processes are permanent scaffolds that keep our businesses running smoothly and ensure we can deliver our brand promises with both integrity and profit.

Data

We live in a data-centric world that allows us to understand customer buying behavior and marketing trends in every moment. This data empowers us to shift our own processes, products and services so that we remain efficient and relevant.

Some Key Perspectives on Scaffolding

Adam Grant has made some great points about leveraging scaffolding when building a business:

Scaffolding as temporary support structure. Grant emphasizes that scaffolding should be viewed as a temporary support system that can be gradually removed or replaced as the business matures. This allows entrepreneurs to experiment, iterate, and scale without being overly constrained by rigid structures.

Scaffolding fosters adaptability. By relying on flexible scaffolding, entrepreneurs can more easily pivot and adapt their business as market conditions and customer needs change over time. This adaptability is critical for staying ahead of the competition.

Scaffolding supports divergent thinking. Grant suggests that scaffolding can help entrepreneurs maintain a divergent thinking mindset, as they are not constrained by permanent structures. This allows them to explore unconventional ideas and solutions.

Scaffolding and team building. Grant also discusses how scaffolding can be applied to building and managing a team. By using temporary roles and structures, entrepreneurs can more easily experiment with team composition and organizational design.

These are just a few ways leaders and entrepreneurs can strategically apply scaffolding to be more innovative, adaptable, and effective in building successful and sustainable businesses.

?The key, Grant says, is maintaining flexibility and a willingness to evolve the scaffolding as the company's needs change over time.

How have you applied scaffolding to your own business growth? Would love to learn about your experiences. Please share in the comments!

About the Author

Marissa is a 5x, 30-year entrepreneur, speaker, best-selling author, mindset expert, and globally recognized growth & spiritual strategist. She was one of Inc. Magazine's most read leadership columnists, and was recognized as one of the Top 200 Biggest Voices of Leadership globally for 2023.

Following the sale of her company Successful Culture International, Marissa launched Marissa International ,?a global speaking, training, and coaching organization to help leaders live their most joyful lives and build their best companies. Marissa is passionate about educating and empowering leaders, teams, organizations, and communities. Reach out if you believe your people, members, and communities would benefit from guidance and wisdom to live a more empowered, conscious, and joyful life.

She is also CEO and co-founder of i5 Conscious Leadership ,?a leadership education, coaching, and consulting firm. Through a robust leadership curriculum that educates leaders at all levels, i5 Conscious Leadership bridges self-consciousness and organizational consciousness for leaders that are committed to creating exceptional employee engagement and business growth. i5 serves the federal, commercial, and nonprofit sectors.