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	Planning For Responsible Growth

	an interview with Lesley High

This is an interview with business consultant Lesley High -- with some tips for dealing with the "growing pains" of business EXPANSION.

Q: WHAT IS THE KEY TO MANAGING BUSINESS GROWTH?

A: Be free of pre-existing notions. Don’t be too wedded to those ideas in your head about how you plan to do things. Your plans, your expectations, and your goals need to EVOLVE as your company grows. Don't get caught in a rigid way of thinking, viewing your company, or making decisions. FLEXIBILITY is the key.

Q: HOW IMPORTANT IS STRATEGIC PLANNING?

A: The power of the mind to SEE what we want and then CAUSE something to occur is incredible -- but we don’t use it. We get stuck when it comes time to take that dream and break it into concrete and realistic steps. Part of the reason we don’t do this kind enough in our businesses is that the phrase “strategic planning” seems so large and looming -- an insurmountable task. But it’s really nothing more than seeing the goal and finding the smallest number of steps to get there. That’s really all that strategic planning is doing -- helping you cement the image of where you want to go and taking a bit of a shortcut.

Q: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH DIRECTION TO GO?

A: Take some time to look at the past five years -- not just what going on in your company, but in the industry and throughout the entire country –- paying attention to TRENDS and events that give sense of context and perspective. Also look at what you accomplished -- what resources you acquired, projects you have completed, people you have hired, etc. Look at the inner image of the company and what is meaningful to you as the business owner to see where you want to go. Organize those plans into broad themes and ask yourself what is fundamental to each grouping. Then all you have to do is plan specific actions to accomplish each, look at all the potential roadblock, and develop steps and a timeline for overcoming each -- one at a time.

Q: HOW DO YOU HELP CLIENTS HANDLE GROWING PAINS?

A: Think about what you are resisting -- what is it that is causing growth to be such a PROBLEM? What is standing in your way? A great way to overcome fear and inertia is to think about the top three most significant things that you could do today to expand your business. These should be small steps -- small enough that the growth doesn’t overwhelm you, but also allows you to feel some progress toward your goal.

Q: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST GROWTH MISTAKE YOU SEE?

A: The biggest mistake I’ve seen is the failure to maintain balance between THINKING and ACTING. This is a difficult harmony to strike. The danger in acting is not imagining and planning for the implications of those actions -- while the danger in thinking too much is that you never move into forward motion. The key is to find a middle ground between impulsive action and “analysis paralysis.”

Q: WHAT ARE THE TYPICAL STAGES OF GROWTH?

A: Starting out, each business owner takes pride in “doing it all” -- but there comes a point where that attitude keeps a company from GROWING any further. Fortunately, most of entrepreneurs learn to delegate (at least to a small degree). The business owner starts giving up uncomfortable or unpleasant tasks to others, but becomes unclear about his or her role. It’s hard to transition from sole practitioner to a TEAM mindset, even if your team is comprised of contract employees and freelancers. But unless the owner can move to a place of sharing responsibility for both the development and the running of the company with his or her “team”, it can cripple growth. A MATURE company (even a one-person company) is one where the owner is not completely indispensable -- where daily operations have been systematized and can continue on even if the owner is unavailable.

Q: HOW CAN A BUSINESS KNOW WHEN TO EXPAND?

A: Generally, business owners will have the sense that they are not moving forward -- are feeling STUCK. This is a sign that some conflicting set of concepts is stopping them from progressing. It might be a desire to take on more clients paired with an unwillingness to bring on more staff. Or it could be an urge to offer a new product, but a lack of knowledge about marketing or production. When you find yourself making the same MISTAKES over and over again, it is clear that you need to consider moving to the next level to get out of your rut.

Q: ANY GOLDEN RULES ABOUT CONTROLLED GROWTH?

A: Before you think of expanding your services or taking on staff, get clear about your VALUES. Growth that comes from a gratuitous desire to grow is almost always destructive. But when growth is a part of the core values and mission behind your company --- and you are guided by something deeper than making a buck – you will find yourself going down the right path.

Q: ANY ADVICE FOR BUSINESSES LOOKING TO EXPAND?

A: I would suggest that they go to the outside to get a fresh PERSPECTIVE -- talk to someone who has experience recognizing patterns in business and can see with unclouded eyes what is going on. Better yet, develop a set of ADVISORS who meet with you periodically to help keep you on track -- a mastermind group of people from different fields and backgrounds. Just having that bit of input from someone who isn’t personally invested in your company can make all the difference in the world -- both encouraging you in new directions you wouldn’t have considered before, and providing you with a bit of a reality check when you need it.

Lesley High is a business consultant who helps nonprofits and small companies plan for growth and develop strategies for better handling daily business dealings. You may contact her at (678) 406-0209 or .

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