Book of the Month: Scaling Up

Scaling Up, written by Gazelles’ founder, Verne Harnish, and contributing coaches in 2014, is a summary of the leadership and management system I use as a foundation for my work with CEOs and executive teams. It builds on Verne’s 2001 book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.

It’s a compilation of countless best practices, tools and stories that help CEOs and their leadership teams focus, align and grow their companies. It organizes these best practices into a fairly holistic system set up to meet the needs of midsize companies.

The book, and management system, address four critical decision areas: People, Strategy, Execution and Cash.

The People section is about ensuring that all our employees are happy and engaged, that we would enthusiastically rehire them all, and that we’re creating a harmonious culture of accountability. 

Strategy tackles building strong, sustainable topline revenue growth by creating a unique offering in the market that is valuable to our most profitable type of customers.

Execution is about reducing drama and converting revenue efficiently into industry-leading profitability. 

The Cash section helps ensure companies have consistent sources of cash to have options, make wise decisions, and fuel growth.

The Scaling Up system is flexible and scalable. It includes a number of simple, practical & actionable tools, like the popular One Page Strategic Plan.

One reaction I often hear from CEOs is “there are so many tools and best practices crammed into this book…it’s like drinking from a firehouse”. And it’s true, as a summary of hundreds of best practices, most pages refers to several other well known - and lesser known - thought leader books. 

And there’s no real roadmap in the book for how to implement them all, or where to start. Without an executive team coach to guide the process, the book can feel a bit overwhelming.

Maybe surprisingly, from an Executive Team Coach’s perspective, there are some important areas that aren’t addressed in the book… areas that have come to light since the book’s launch in 2014.

I’ll address these other areas in my next book introduction, on The 7 Attributes of Agile Growth, another methodology I use with CEOs and executive teams to build on Scaling Up.

Book: 245 pgs, 8h50m audio. Get-Abstract summary: 5 pgs, 10m audio

How can you scale up your company?
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To find out how to implement an integrated system to grow more easily, quickly and profitability, AND enjoy the ride, try our complimentary Agile Growth Checklist. This self-service questionnaire takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete. You'll receive the checklist with your responses immediately. Within 24 hours, you'll receive a compiled report highlighting areas to improve. Find out how your company is doing in each of the 7 areas needed to produce more rapid, profitable and sustainable growth. This report is complementary and involves no obligation.

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