Growth Ideas #1: Wood or Heat

I was in a conversation with some colleagues this week about constraints to growth. Now, these are smart, committed leaders in our company and they were struggling with not being able to take advantage of growth opportunities that required an additional hire—the client wants us and we had to say, “No.” Needless to say they were a bit consternated.

The situation reminded me of a cartoon I saw years ago. A man is standing in front of a fireplace with no fire in it and he is saying, “I’ll give you some wood when you give me some heat.”

Among other things, growth requires investment. It doesn’t happen without it. No investment, no growth. It’s a pretty simple equation.

Clearly, I’m not talking about wasteful, profligate spending. I’m talking about thoughtful, strategic spending, whether it’s a new sales person, a new piece of technology, a new advertisement, etc.

This got me to thinking about what retards growth in general and what to do about it. Or, put positively, what unleashes growth. Stay tuned for a series of growth ideas and principles over the next few weeks.