What got you here won't get you there

As we are all having a seasonal reflect on the mess that was 2024, and our new year’s resolutions for 2025, I’d like to invite you have have a think about your mindset going into the new year - especially where you are aiming for significant growth, or a major change in 2025.

If you are on the Board, or SLT of a medium-sized company - some of these may sound very familiar!

The Head and Shoulders Challenge

One of the most common patterns I've observed this year is what I call the "Head and Shoulders" problem. Picture your organisation as a body: you, the CEO or MD, are the head, and your Senior Leadership Team (SLT) are the shoulders. In too many growing companies, those shoulders haven't been properly developed, trained, or empowered. The result? Every decision, every problem, and every bit of stress travels straight to the head.

Sound familiar?

• Your diary is packed with decisions others could (and should) be making
• You're involved in operational details that should be managed two levels below you
• Your team seems hesitant to take initiative without your sign-off
• You're simultaneously the bottleneck and the safety net

When Founders Need to Let Go

Here's an uncomfortable truth: as your company grows, you're not always the best person for every job anymore. The technical expertise that built your company might now be better found in specialists. The operational decisions you've always made might be better handled by experienced managers. Your role needs to evolve from the person with all the answers to the person who ensures the right questions are being asked by the right people.

The Growth Paradox

The success stories I've witnessed across the UK this year share a common thread: they're not just about financial metrics, but about evolving organisational DNA while protecting culture. Take the midlands-based tech company, who maintained their customer-first culture while doubling their team to 200 people. Or the 250-strong company, who successfully integrated two acquired companies without losing their sustainability-driven ethos.

When Yesterday's Solutions Become Today's Obstacles

Consider these familiar scenarios:

Pre-Series A/B Reality Check

• The informal decision-making that worked with 20 people becomes a bottleneck at 50, or at 150
• Your founding team's all-hands-on-deck approach isn't scaling with your headcount
• The culture that "just happened" now needs intentional nurturing

Building Strong Shoulders

• Your SLT needs development opportunities and clear autonomy
• Decision-making frameworks must be established and trusted
• Leaders need space to make (and learn from) their own mistakes

Rapid Growth Challenges

• The hiring process that worked for 10 roles a year struggles with 10 roles a month
• Internal communication methods break down as teams expand and specialise
• Middle management becomes essential, but promoting great individual contributors doesn't automatically create great leaders

The People-First Evolution

What's becoming clear across the UK business landscape is that organisational health isn't a 'nice to have' – it's the foundation that determines whether your next phase of growth will strengthen or strain your company.

Consider:

1. Developing Your Shoulders
2. Culture as Infrastructure
3. Organisational Health as Competitive Advantage

The Path Forward

As you plan for 2025, consider these questions:

• Which decisions currently coming to you could be handled effectively by others?
• What would happen if you were unavailable for a month?
• Where might you need to let go of "how we've always done it" to make room for "how we could do it"?

A Final Thought

The most successful transitions I've witnessed this year weren't the ones with the perfect plans, but those with the courage to acknowledge that growth requires evolution at every level – starting with leadership.

As one founder recently told me after successfully closing their Series B: "I realised my job wasn't to have all the answers anymore. It was to build an organisation that could find better answers than I could alone."

Here's to your evolution in 2025 – and to developing shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of your ambitions.

And if you’d like a sounding board, a strategic plan that encompasses these points, or just a chat about what you might be missing, DM me ‘2025’ and we’ll have a brew.

"The art of leadership is not about being irreplaceable, it's about building something that works without you." - Peter Drucker