Limits to growth can be very frustrating. I am not talking about the times when we see success but the times when we keep doing the same thing that brought us success in the past but now with less and less results. It turns out that this is a very common and predictable pattern. Fortunately, it is also a problem that can be overcome if we are willing to let go of what we believe is limiting our success.
The pattern of growth is familiar. We undertake something and success leads to more resources and more enthusiasm so there is growth which leads to more resources and enthusiasm and so on. In its simplest form, as long as we kept doing the same things that brought success, growth would keep on occuring forever. However, this clearly doesn't happen in real life. Slowdowns eventually happen.
The typical response to a slowdown in growth is to put in more of what was causing the growth in the place. More time, more money, more effort. Kind of like using a bigger hammer. This may work temporarily but soon the pattern of slowdown will reoccur and more dramatically. You see, the cycle of growth is always attached to a balancing cycle that eventually results in resistance to further growth. Just like the cycle of success keeps leading to growth, so the balancing cycle keeps leading to resistance that slows or stops growth. As a result, when the balancing cycle is operating, more growth will lead to more resistance and the effort to grow will be more and more costly.
The secret to overcoming the limits to growth pattern is to focus on understanding the balancing cycle rather than the growth cycle. The strongest part of the balancing cycle are the unintended consequences we create as we are growing. It is all too easy to blame the resistance on others and that is what keeps people stuck in this cycle. Our attempts to push past external constraints when the constraint is internal will be fruitless. When we have identified and dealt with the internal constraints then we will be in a position to respond to the external constraints.
There are many balancing factors that cause resistance to growth. Here are four that you cannot afford to overlook and some questions you can ask to recognize if they are operating:
Trust - Nothing will undermine growth like a lack of trust. In your efforts to grow are you paying attention to the level of trust between you and the people you are serving? Have you evaluated your consistency, reliability, availability, timeliness? Do you have an outside objective opinion of these?
Alignment - Have you ever been in a vehicle that is out of alignment? Everything seems fine when you are driving at low speeds, but accelerate and all of a sudden the vehicle starts to shudder and swerve and you have to be careful to not lose control. Alignment is crucial on a number of levels as you grow. On a personal level, have you paid attention to whether you are drifting away from your personal vision and core values? Within your team, are you taking the time to explain where you are heading and why. Are you open to listening and are you welcoming of honest feedback?
Adaptability - We all operate within a picture of how the world works. When we have experienced success in the past it is easy to assume that the same factors will always operate the same way. Adaptability is now believed to be one of the most important factors behind the long-term success of any vision. Have you paid attention to your assumptions and whether they are still relevant? Have you built in regular time for analysis and reflection? Where are you ignoring or accommodating out-of-date practices.
Underinvestment - When things stop going well it may seem natural to remove resources from the area that is not doing well. But underinvestment usually undermines future growth. The times of slow growth are often the time to prepare for the next stage of growth. How deeply have you cut resources to try to accommodate the slowdown? Are you holding back when you should be moving forward? Do you have capacity to respond quickly to the next growth opportunity? What new pioneer resources are needed for the next stage of growth?
Daniel
The best mosaics have a lot of pieces...
