The Critical Question of Growth
As a mission-driven leader, the pressure to grow your organization is real.
But is growth always justified, and is growth ALWAYS a good thing?
You’ve heard the mantras I’m sure:
“If you’re not growing, you’re dying”
“Never settle for the status quo”
“Healthy things grow”
At the risk of sounding heretical, here at Good Works we don’t ascribe to most of the chatter about growth, and we believe that mission-driven leaders especially must approach the critical question of growth with extra care and strategic insight.
Don’t get me wrong - we’re pro-growth. Just not in the traditional sense.
Below are a few insights on how we encourage our clients and friends to approach true mission-driven growth:
All Forms are Growth are Not the Same
Leaders often make the mistake of thinking that growth only happens in one way, typically by increasing the number of people they serve with their current mix of services or offerings. They feel pressure to crank more customers through their machine to increase their output. While this is certainly one form of growth, it is not the only way to grow. The below Good Works Growth Strategy Matrix presents four unique models of growth, each with different implications and risks.
Growth can take many shapes and forms, and growth has multiple options and dimensions. Breadth, depth, scale, reach, and invention can all be critical aspects of growth, and your organization should understand and assess all of your growth options and opportunities before you jump on the growth bandwagon.
Growth for Growth’s Sake Almost Never Ends Well
Leaders of mission-driven organizations tend to feel consistent pressure to grow, in large part because the need for what we have to offer will almost always exceed our capacity to meet it. Such leaders often default to a “grow at any cost” mentality, whether because of our own altruistic drive to serve more people, our ambition to build a bigger and better organization, and/or the influence of well-intentioned board members and investors who often bring an overly simplistic view of what it takes to grow and sustain a mission-driven organization. We’ve found again and again that growth for growth sake is often not sustained.
Only Intentional Growth Seems to Stick
What does seem to work is mission-driven leaders who guide their organizations through thoughtful, data-driven, and strategic processes designed to address the question of growth holistically and methodically. We are fortunate to have worked with several such leaders over the years, and some of the questions we’ve helped them ask and answer include:
Do we have opportunities to grow, and if so, what do each of those opportunities look like?
Are we well-equipped to pursue one or more of those opportunities, or can we reasonably become equipped?
Is there alignment amongst our leadership that pursuing one or more growth opportunities is the right thing for us?
What should our growth trajectory, timeline, and success metrics be to ensure sustainable growth?
How do you as a mission-driven leader approach the question of growth for your organization? Share your reactions to our post and your own experiences by commenting below!