Your Business, A Tomato Plant?
Recently, I realized that I had not been tending to the tomato plant as much as I should have. It's taking up most of the small room that my hydroponic tower sits in. It's wrapping around the lights, cutting off light to the rest of the plant, and reaching into the fan above. It's completely out of control! Why did I let this happen?!
Well, it wasn't always like this. It started as a seed in a little pod of dirt and grew to a seedling. It sprouted a few leaves and the stalk began to strengthen. As I continued to feed the plant, it quickly started to really take off! I would prune the leaves and branches, encouraging the plant to concentrate its efforts in blossoming flowers. I would use a brush on the flowers to stimulate pollination, triggering the blossom to begin growing fruit.
These are Purple Heirloom tomatoes. If you haven't ever tried one, I'd highly recommend it for it's robust flavor.
The tomatoes grew in size for several weeks. I continued to trim back the leaves and branches so that most of the plant's resources would go into the fruit. Then, the tomatoes changed color, signaling that they were ready to harvest.
After enjoying several tomatoes, I started taking the plant for granted. I didn't prune back the leaves as much. I left town once or twice, leaving it to grow as it wanted. I just got... busy. It was still growing tomatoes, so it's fine, right?
It happened slowly, barely noticeable. Now the plant is slowly killing itself. The root system is clogging the rest of the tower. It's shutting off light to a good amount of the branches. It's reaching into areas that it shouldn't be and not cooperating with other plants in the hydroponic tower. It's still producing tomatoes, but for how long?
Rapid growth can be a good thing for a company, but it can also be a bad thing if the leadership is not being a good steward of its growth. If the company grows too quickly and doesn't have organization and metrics in place, it can get crushed by its own weight. This can happen if the leadership tries to do too much too quick without taking the time to plan, organize, and control growth.
One of the most important things that a company can do to handle growth is to have clear measurement systems in place. These systems should track progress, identify areas of improvement, and allow leaders to implement changes as needed. Having accurate measurements also allows the company to remain accountable for its actions and results.
To successfully manage rapid growth, it is also important to plan ahead and create clear organizational structures that support the company's goals. This can involve hiring additional employees, outsourcing certain tasks, or changing the way that teams are organized within the company. It is crucial to take an active role in managing this growth and make sure that everyone involved is on the same page.
In order to take advantage of C-Suite leadership during times of rapid growth, companies should:
Create a plan for how they will measure their success and hold themselves accountable
Outline what specific goals they hope to achieve and how they will go about doing so
Develop a well thought out organizational structure that can support their current and future needs
Identify what resources they will need in order to manage this growth (employees, funding, etc.) and put a plan in place to secure them
Make sure all members of their team are on board with the plan and understand their roles within it
Again, STAY ACCOUNTABLE!
If a company wants to thrive and maintain its competitive advantage during times of rapid growth, it is important to stay focused on the long-term goals and not get sidetracked by short-term gains. By planning ahead and making smart decisions throughout the process, companies can successfully manage aggressive growth while continuing to improve their performance and results.
