Growth Leaders need to be the “meaning makers” in our firms – and the current best method of doing this is to create a narrative. Growth Leaders catalyze action by creating lucid pictures of the future in their organizations by stepping into complexity and creating clarity. They paint on three canvases: the now, the near future and the vision. By walking the future into the present, they allow their firms to create compelling actions in the now that enable that future to happen.
In the late 80’s I started to read research reports about devices that would be the real version of the Star Trek communicators. Those organizations that had visionary architects on board won the first round: Motorola, Nokia, and then the competition really got rolling. They did it through persuasion and influence, getting their firms to align resources with an emerging vision of the future.
Fast forward to now, where we are awash in data and snippets of information. Depending how many “streams” you invest in, you may have dozens of things like slack channels, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, email, some version of RSS feeds, and so on.
What we are desperate for are armatures to wind this information on. In times of change, those who do the best job of interpreting information in real time win the day. Early positioning in the inflection point can mean the difference between a leader and a footnote. In times of rapid shifts in technology and cost bases, the models we hold in our minds (and in our firms) erode really quickly (enabling disruption). Carving out a map during a strategy session one year does not guarantee applicability the next.
Yet, we as human beings need to grasp this flow of information, harness it and use it for ourselves, our firms and our communities.
This need can be answered by the Architect capacity of the Complete Growth Leader Model. According to this model, the architect capacity relates directly to the ability of the leader to be the person in the firm that creates clarity when confronted with complexity.
When a leader is weak in this muscle, they are prone to make charts that look like the thousand flowers blooming chart (example here). These charts are a symptom of a lack of decision making, and diffuse the work of their firms by keeping them from gaining critical mass when the market shifts. These “all inclusive” charts seem safe (because they remove the need for hard conversations), but can create real danger. Note that both Nokia and Motorola lost the long-term leadership when the iPhone came on the scene because they were missing major business model changes.
The three stories Growth Leaders need to have a grasp of are:
#1: Core
Here we are working within the firm’s current boundaries and capacities. This category includes changes to process, technology or the people that implement them. This category typically includes 60-70 percent of the effort expended in a firm in a given budget cycle. It includes changes to the way we build things, new features for the products and services offerings and the delivery channels.
#2: Explore
In this story, we take our existing products and services to new customers. We can do this via entrepreneurial sales teams, or perhaps using a strategic partner that has access to those customer who might benefit from our offerings. The work of explore is done by moving resource toward gaining access to new clients and markets who might benefit from what we do or build.
#3: Invent
Lastly, in the inventing story, we are coming up with new products and services outside our current product lines for clients in our current markets. We typically do this via a captive R&D arm, or perhaps open innovation or joint development agreements.
Blocking our Story
Many of the classic stories we’re familiar with share a similar outline: a main character has a problem, then develops a plan and achieves success.
The issue is that internal growth leaders frequently see themselves as the main character. This causes all kinds of issues, and when taken to extremes, can result in a big miss. When a Growth Leader falls into this trap, they fail to win the resources they need because in a head to head competition for resources in a firm, the best story wins.
The dominant business model is always the best story if a crystal clear picture of the future and its implications is not present. For instance, in the above cell phone example, Sony had all the assets needed to win the cell phone market in its first cycle. However, its dialogue was dominated by portable video and music and they missed the power of personal communications.
What seasoned Growth Leaders see is that:
The client/customer is always the main character in the story.
Once we have made this leap, then the only real problems are specific, actionable client and customer problems. Our role is only as advocate, need meeter and guide. By developing compelling narratives along the outlines above, we shift conversation, then thought, and finally resources.
Be a Better Growth Leader
What this illustrates is that to be a solid Growth Leader, you must think one layer above the functional interests of your background or firm. When you make this shift, you will be able to connect better with customers, and also surprisingly better, with senior management.
The Takeaways:
- We are awash in information
- The “Architect” capability of the growth leader leads us to clarity
- There are three core growth stories that all fit one customer-centered story structure
- By being hard on the story, we will save our firm a lot of resources.
If you’d like to have a conversation about how to strengthen your Architect function either individually or as a team, lets talk. You can reach me at (847) 651-1014 or use this link to set up a 20-minute, (no-strings-attached) consult.
