The Right (Growth) Things

At some point in our professional lives each of us is guilty of it. We put forth massive effort, align all the resources, move heaven and earth, to finally cross the finish line. And then it hits us: we've pursued the wrong thing. So, how does that happen?

There are two scenarios that seem to repeat. The first is that we get so deep into something, we become solely focused on iteration, and the big picture is lost. A catalyst in these situations is the human truth that it’s hard to say “no” to work we’re invested in. The sunk costs fuel our bias, and our bias is to continue. A regular, fact based, and data supported review of growth work we’ve committed to is a great counter, and eyes wide open moment to ensure we're pointing at the right things. Every plan, every team, has things that should be stopped or significantly redirected, don't let these linger. Let’s call it growth debt, and left unaddressed it accumulates. 

The other scenario is when the wrong things sneak in. Often it's a great idea, maybe something ‘so obvious’ it just had to be done. The common thread is these things skip right past scrutiny and clear definition; they often begin at the execution stage. So how do we address these?

Interestingly, the trick isn’t in identifying the wrong things, it's about identifying and selecting the right things, only committing to growth opportunities that are truly high potential. Committing to ‘good’ opportunities isn’t good enough, because the list of good opportunities is essentially infinite. Only the most promising opportunities should be pursued.

Selecting the most promising growth opportunities begins with a fact based understanding of your situation, an in-depth view of the customer, product, market, and go-to-market. Unfortunately, this component is often skipped entirely, or treated as a checklist of tasks to quickly move past. That’s unfortunate because it’s this assessment that enables a true understanding of what’s possible (your growth optionality), informs a lasting growth strategy, quantifies growth potential, and provides a foundation for the tangible growth programs that will deliver observable business results.

Lasting growth comes from efficacy. Growth efficacy is intentional.