As companies get larger, there is a tendency for
them to lose some of the innovative edge and versatility that defined them as
start-ups and young enterprises. Several factors common to larger firms
contribute to this, including increased bureaucracy and more rigid,
hierarchical command structures.
Accordingly, one of the challenges that growing
businesses face involves keeping the company nimble, and ensuring that the
workforce and leadership alike continue to adapt to technology and changing
market conditions.
Encourage
experimentation, with some margin for error.
All businesses strive to offer products and
services that are commercially viable, and for larger firms in particular, a
preoccupation with maximizing shareholder value can intensify those commercial
pressures. Unfortunately, a drive for immediate windfalls can undermine more
sophisticated forms of innovation that require time and capital investment to
develop.
Major innovations cannot happen without
experimentation, and experimentation is inherently risky. Many successful
businesses have invested in products and technologies that never really took
off. (Think of Google Glass, or QR codes, for example.) To genuinely innovate,
managers must be willing to take risks on novel concepts that may not always
pan out.
Consider
the potential, and not just past achievements, of job candidates.
In applying for a position at your company, job
candidates will typically emphasize their past experience and achievements that
are relevant to the role—and well they should. But in looking to hire and
promote, don’t get so fixated on the past successes of a candidate that you
overlook the potential of applicants to grow as individuals and expand their skill
sets.
In the recruitment stage, in interviews, and in
personality surveys, try to incorporate questions that will reveal whether a
candidate is curious, open to new approaches to old problems, and believes in
h/er own potential to cultivate new skills.
One question that may reveal all of these
attributes is: “What new skills or knowledge have you gained in the past year,
and what did the learning process involve?” Alternatively, the common interview
question “Do you have any questions for me?” can help bring out the curiosity,
level of engagement, and preparedness of the candidate. Consider giving job
candidates an assignment that will test their skills and approach to
problem-solving.
Personal
accountability matters.
One of the most important attributes of strong
leaders is a capacity to assume responsibility when something goes wrong. In
other words, they believe the locus of control is primarily internal rather
than external. These are the types of individuals you should seek to hire and
promote.
Personal responsibility is important from the
perspective of organizational growth. Individuals who are willing to assume
primary responsibility for their own shortcomings are more likely to learn from
them and modify their approach. By contrast, those who convince themselves that
their errors are entirely attributable to bad luck or circumstances beyond
their control risk missing the lesson.
Reflect
on your performance.
It’s not enough to merely work harder or put in
longer hours when your business faces a challenge: you need a plan to help
steer your efforts in a productive direction. Real learning requires not only
hard work and persistence, but also active mental engagement.
One practice that can help is daily
reflection—over the course of the work day, what did you do well, what would
you have done differently if offered a second chance, and where do you see room
for improvement? To facilitate this kind of reflection, you can encourage staff
to keep a work journal, and set aside time (10-15 minutes of the workday) for
entry-writing.
