If you own or run a business and want it to get bigger, you might think a lot about money coming in and money going out. But there’s this big word, “organizational development,” that might sound like it’s only for MBAs, not for your business plans.
Imagine how a snake grows: when it gets too big for its skin, it sheds it all at once and gets a new one. People grow differently; our skin stretches and changes slowly over time.
Your business might be more like the snake right now. You’re busy selling things and making them, and you might not think about teaching your team or making new rules until “later.”
But what if you suddenly hit a wall? You can’t grow your business anymore because of internal problems like:
❌ The people who help run your business can’t handle more work
❌ There’s no one ready to take over if leaders leave
❌ Your business set-up can’t handle more work or is making things harder
❌ The policies you had when your business was small might cause problems now that you have more people and more “business”
When you hit these problems, it’s like you’re the snake that needs new skin. You’ll have to work a huge amount on your business, like building your team and making new ways of working, so you get past the roadblock.
Fixing these things usually takes much longer than you’d like … especially training new leaders or finding people from outside to help.
Also, trying to correct everything fast and at once usually breaks even more things. Do it the easier way, along the way.
Therefore, if your business is growing fast or you want it to grow fast, you should start thinking about these things NOW. You want your business to grow easily, without big crises.
Make plans to help your team get better and for operations changes that promote growth. If you think your leaders might struggle, help them get ready and think about who could take over in the future as people move up … even for your role.
You might need to ask for outside help to figure out what your business needs and how to make it better … or even for perspective.
Remember, working on these things will take time from you and others in your business. Make sure you plan for that when you’re making growth plans.
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