Here in the U.S, we just enjoyed the closest thing we have to a universal cultural event: the Super Bowl. Even those who aren’t ardent NFL fans take part in the parties, the advertising and the debate over what “surprises” the halftime show will have in store.
Sidestepping this excitement for a moment, there is a lot in football that we can apply to the running of growth programs, as well. It turns out that just as in football, there are deep patterns that we can study that will help us put our best talent in the best position to succeed.
The Big Players
Let’s start by talking about the core leadership capacities of Growth Leaders. Then we can talk about how to get them into position to make new (and big) things happen.
As a quick summary, we recognize that there are four Growth Leader capacities (you can read more here):
- The Architect – high level, visionary, visual thinker, very high expectations, risk taker
- The Catalyst – hard working, ruthless finisher, likes to run solo, just likes to score
- The Champion – diplomatic, collaborative, influencer, consummate people skills
- The Anchor – resilient, rooted, systems thinker, able to connect systems, risk-averse
Understanding Their “Game Day” Challenges
Depending on where they are in the program, growth leaders will find themselves faced with a different set of challenges. The truth, is that the stronger the leader is at their core skill, the deeper their blind spots are…and the more they need a high-functioning team. Understanding these challenges will help us find success by having the right capacities in place at the right time:
- In the creation stage, growth leaders are challenged by ideation, interviewing, iterating, forming models and creating prototypes
- In the scaling stage, leaders work through integration, data gathering, optimizing, removing variation and establishing a process
Preparing for the Big Win
If we want our growth program to succeed, we need to talk about mixing and matching our players so that we have the right capacities in place for each stage of the program:
- When creating, we need more emphasis on the Architect and Catalyst capacities. In this domain, we often need to take actions to create data. The front end of any new endeavor is always risky and these two types have the stubbornness and fortitude to take risks and find that elusive combination of pricing, features, and benefits that fit the market perfectly.
- In the scaling domain, we need to shift our emphasis to Catalysts and Anchors. The reason for this is that this duo is all about doing things right, where the pair above is about doing the right thing. By teaming our ruthless optimizers, who leave no stone unturned, we go from streaky performance to real output consistency.
Our VIP
Finally, let’s talk about the role of our Champion and why this is all much harder than it sounds.
Left to their own devices, the Architect, Catalyst and Anchor will sub-optimize their contributions because they have a hard time seeing each others’ core strengths as equal and necessary. The reason is that they are pushed apart and shielded from each other by different communication styles, expectations, and mindsets.
This is where a strong Champion can step in and create just the right amount of interaction, challenge, and space for each capacity to flourish.
The Champion’s role on the team is to help each of the other three styles find common ground as defined by the common challenge they all face. They do this by using their unique ability to see past the barriers and harmonize the other three.
Building Your Own High-Performing Team
Getting this right is a learned and coached behavior. Just as the NFL has “position” coaches, high-performing, cross-functional teams get to higher sustained performance levels with skillful support. Some teams naturally fall into place, but it is much faster and lower risk to invest in some insightful coaching that can help the team coalesce around its best version of itself.
Not getting this right will make it challenging for you to break out and complete the mission you have taken on as a firm – typically missing millions of dollars in potential market presence. Said simply, you and your growth team will stall. But get it right, and you’ll see the team fully engaged and ready to take on new opportunities with confidence.
I’ve only had time to give you the briefest glimpse into how the Complete Growth Leader structure gets your best talent in position to be successful. If you’d like to have a more in-depth discussion, please reach out by using this link. Or give me a call at (847) 651-1014.
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