Putting the Cart before the Horse

I’ve done it.  You’ve done it.  We’ve all done it.

At some point in time, as we are growing our business, we have identified a roadblock that is hindering the growth of our business…or an opportunity for growth that we want to capture…

and we take action!

… we kick-off that IT infrastructure project

….we implement that PR/marketing campaign

… we make that personnel change

… we invest in a CRM or other tools

… we outsource that project

This bias to action is a top trait of successful entrepreneurial leaders…and it is exactly what got you to the success you’ve had thus far in your business.  From start to your first customers/revenue…to building your early team…to your first $1 million in sales…to building your leadership team.

However, as you transform your business from startup to scaleup this bias to action becomes a recipe for failure.

… the IT infrastructure project comes in delayed and over budget

… the digital marketing campaign doesn’t produce results

… the sales/marketing executive doesn’t work out as expected

… the leadership change doesn’t change the situation

… the CRM tools don’t get the ROI

… the outsourced project is a time sink

And you are left wondering why this happened…what should you have done differently…what could you have done differently.

The answer is… your bias to action became a rush to execution with no real organizational strategy in place.  As the old proverb suggests we put the cart before the horse.

Smart CEOs of scale-up companies spend time prior to action focusing on strategy.  They make time… they deliberately take the time… to assess their organization and develop a strategy that drives the plan of action.

In short, they Rethink their organizational strategy… they put the cart after the horse.

Making the change from putting the cart before the horse will have a major and positive impact on your organization’s performance.

We’ve seen it happen…time and time again…with every company and non-profit we’ve worked with…from $5M businesses to $50M businesses…across industry, market, and sector… strategy before action leads to increased revenue and increased profits.

If you are in this situation…where you have opportunities for growth but no organizational strategy for growth… there is a better way.  Contact me today.  We work with CEOs of scale-up companies to assess and develop a smart organizational strategy with the key drivers of success and accountability for the critical actions for success.