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Success is all about what you choose to scale: balance, strategy, and planning…or costs, chaos, and complexity.

Scaling success is all about growth; but it is about growth in proportion to maintenance and compliance, strategy in proportion to ideation, and expansion in proportion to simplicity. A company focused on boundless growth, ideation, and endless expansion will suffer from burnout. A company focused solely on maintenance and compliance, strategy, and simplicity will wither in today’s innovative marketplace.

Thus, there is the need to scale proportionately.

Leaders of a large corporation decided to focus on growth, and so they invested in new technology, new lines of business, and new joint ventures. And, at the same time, they built a brand new headquarters.

The problem was, they didn’t scale the growth with attention to maintenance and compliance, solid strategy, and simplicity. With the company going at full throttle, these equally important issues were left unattended.

The company did grow – it grew more and more encumbered with debt. It grew in the number of fines imposed for lack of compliance and in the expense of breakdowns due to lack of maintenance. And it grew in the volume of complaints from customers and employees.

In fact, this once-thriving company grew itself right into dissolution.

This is why scaling success matters.

What can you learn from these big business mistakes so you don’t repeat them in your company?

1. Scale to protect.

Certain animals have scales. These scales overlap in such a way as to provide protection and flexibility as they move. When you have scaled growth, it acts as a protective barrier. It allows for growth within controlled financial, legal, and systematic boundaries. This barrier protects the company and the team, while also providing great flexibility within those protective boundaries.

2. Scale to create balance.

Nature itself teaches us the value of balance, as it seeks to constantly maintain a standard pH in our systems. When the pH is out of balance, it is an indicator of a breakdown of systems.

How is the balance of your company? How is the balance of your team? Are there course corrections to be made to prevent breakdowns?

3. Scale to create measured and gradual growth.

It’s the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare applied to leadership. Are you building a business steadily, or are you racing to the finish line?

We all know how that story ends.

4. Scale to provide order.

Disorder is costly. Think about how much time your team spends looking for information, trying to figure out how something was done previously, or wondering what their role is in a project or initiative.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to provide direction and order. This does not mean you must spend hours pouring over spreadsheets. It does mean you should have people who do pay attention to those details.

If you do not have an orderly system, you do not have a serious business. When you grow with disorder, it escalates quickly into chaos.

5. Scale to experience harmony.

Everyone loves newness, but most appreciate it in measured doses. Too much newness will confuse your customers and frustrate your team. But newness in crafted, measured doses serves to energize your customers and team. Grow in layers, not in random spurts.

The best way to scale a business is to establish a scalable team – one that provides balance for growth with attention to maintenance and compliance, strategy in addition to ideation, and expansion enabled by simple, executable actions based on overall vision and goals. This is where Team Strengths Mapping provides critical value to organizations.

Success is, indeed, what you choose to scale: balance, strategy, and planning…or costs, chaos, and complexity.

Growth Scaled + Innovation Scaled + Expansion Scaled = Success Scaled

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For more resources on learning, working, and communicating in your strengths zone and through crisis, click here to learn about the Maxwell Method of Communications Impact Report.

As the CEO of Strength Leader Development, Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after international executive mentor, coach, trainer and speaker. Deb is well versed in global business operations and helps business leaders and their teams to discover and leverage their strengths, so they can create highly collaborative teams that deliver great results. With a refreshingly direct style, Deb helps leaders and their teams to deliver profitable results. Connect with Deb to learn more about her mentorship and coaching programs to equip you with advanced strategies to elevate your results.