I recently read The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership by Tim Elmore. He discussed Ichak Adizes stages of an organization’s life cycle.1 This language is beneficial for leaders to evaluate where their organization presently stands. Below are a few of the stages with some modifications on terms and an idea of how to lead in each stage.
Birth
This stage is also known as the startup stage. In this stage leaders fight to get their idea off the ground. They daily hustle to prove the concept, themselves, or make enough sales to get positive cash flow. This is an exciting and exhausting stage.
As a leader the most difficulty person to lead especially in this stage is yourself. Create habits that will help you win the mindset battles. Develop habits that force you to engage in business growth activities daily. Discipline yourself to avoid chasing new ideas until the time is right. Finally, have people in your inner circle who encourage you to persist when you want to quit.
Growth
Often, I work with leaders in growing teams and small business leaders who are experiencing growth. During this stage the organization is moving fast and there is a temptation to capitalize on every opportunity. This also is an exciting stage, but if you are not careful you may fall which I will discuss in a moment.
At this stage leaders need to get clarity of vision. Take time to slow down to clarify what the organization or team is about. This clarity prevents chasing good opportunities that do not align with your purpose. At this stage it may seem counterintuitive to create time to think into this because you are so busy. Slowing down to clarify your vision will help you to grow more intentionally.
Adolescence
At this point your organization is established. You have clarity around what your organization’s purpose is. Cash flow is solid and as the founder you feel pretty good about it, but a little overwhelmed because you know deep down you are doing too much.
As the leader you need to let go and empower. Take time to evaluate what is the best use of your time for the organization and then train and equip others to lead the other areas. Just like adolescence this stage can be awkward as the founder since you are letting go of what you have done for years.
The task may be done differently than you would do it but accomplish the same result. Take a deep breath, let go, and be there to assist as needed. The reality is someone else can and probably will take care of that responsibility better than you and catapult the organization to greater results.
A Caution on Success
Jim Collins wrote an excellent book How the Mighty Fall which describes what he found causes great organizations to fall. I do not have time to go into the details here, but one I will highlight is the undiscipline pursuit of more. Success is exciting, but also elusive. If we are not careful, we just pursue the next adventure for the thrill or the financial rewards.
As a leader maintain clarity of vision in your pursuit of more growth. Collins suggests the best leaders see the need to surround themselves with a great leadership team. This team keeps the organization focused on the core values to guide their pursuit of more. More is good when it aligns with your purpose and passion, but more for the sake of more can lead to a fall.
Which stage are you in. Need help thinking into strategies on how to grow through the stage you are in toward the next stage? Contact me for a powerful coaching session at no cost to you or a strategic planning session with your team. In the meantime, lead well.
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- https://site.adizes.com/lifecycle/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/01/11/business-life-cycle-spectrum-where-are-you/?sh=7f0b80c1ef5e
- Collins, Jim. How the Mighty Fall. Harper Collins: New York.