I was thrilled to find that there is a model to organizational growth that allows leaders to predict what’s coming next and see where they are as an organization in those five stages of growth.
The garage phase is where entrepreneurship rules the day. The founders are sitting around the table talking, tossing out ideas. “Let’s try this.” “Let’s try this.” “Let’s try this.” Suddenly, they find themselves inadequate to take the company to the next level. They don’t personally have enough skill sets. So, they have to hire people. There’s a crisis of leadership.
There is pain that causes them to bring in other leaders and now there is growth through direction. But the leaders that they brought in are crying for autonomy. They don’t want to just be told what to do and then go do it. They want to have access to authority, not just tasks. That crisis of autonomy leads to the need for delegation and those who founded the company have to give up some of their control.
Systems have to be put in place. Processes have to be put in place if the organization is going to get to the next level. The challenge of having different people doing different things is that they must now begin to coordinate their movements so as not to step on each other. Otherwise, they hurt each other’s efforts.
Coordination now becomes important. However, we now have more red tape due to the necessary systems. That leads to a crisis of red tape, but we have to go on. Ultimately, we have to collaborate to continue a profitable business venture. We want to not only not hurt each other’s business unit, but as a whole we want to be stronger than any of the parts would be individually.
Does your organization achieve this level? Most stop somewhere short of that. However, that remains the goal. Great leaders know these models and are able to move around the next corner – leading their followers to anticipate and then navigate the waters of change.
My hope is, as you look at this poster, you can find where your magic club might be in the five stages of growth. Helping yourself prepare for what’s around the corner and leading those that are with you around that next bend.
A more complete article on this subject can be downloaded and printed by clicking HERE.
Categories: Authority Relationships, Empathy
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