How to Kickstart Your Scaling Up Journey
Scaling Up with the Rockefeller Habits is a great way to help your business grow, but it’s not just about ticking off a list. You’ve got to understand the Habits and keep them alive in your team. This is where the Scaling Up Champion comes in. The Champion’s job is to make sure that the Scaling Up process keeps pace with your company’s growth so that both the business and the strategy move forward together. But who’s the right person for this role?
Keeping the Momentum Going
A lot of companies dive into Scaling Up with excitement, rolling out the 10 Rockefeller Habits and seeing some great results. The Core Purpose and BHAG get everyone pumped up, the company becomes more transparent, and people know what they’re supposed to be doing. Growth follows, and things are looking up. But after a while, that buzz starts to wear off—slowly, not all at once. This isn’t always a disaster, but it can lead to the business losing its edge and growth slowing down.
Verne Harnish talks about this in Scaling Up, comparing the process to maintaining a car or a plant: if you don’t keep up the care, things start to go south. The same goes for Scaling Up. If you don’t keep the Habits alive, here’s what can happen:
No Go-To Person: Employees might have questions about the Rockefeller Habits, but they don’t know who to ask. Initially, the business owner might be the one, but they usually end up busy with other things. When that happens, employees stop asking questions, and Scaling Up doesn’t evolve with the business.
Skills Fade: At the start, everyone gets training. But as people leave and new ones come in, the training often gets pushed aside because “it’s just too busy right now.” Before you know it, the new, lower standard becomes the norm.
No Fresh Ideas: The Scaling Up approach is always changing with new tools and best practices. But if no one’s paying attention, you’ll end up using the same old KPIs and methods that might not be relevant anymore. The Champion is the one who keeps the process fresh and relevant, always looking for ways to step things up.
Why You Need a Scaling Up Champion
To keep the Rockefeller Habits going strong, you need a Scaling Up Champion. This person makes sure that the Scaling Up approach doesn’t just sit on the shelf. The Champion isn’t usually the business owner because they’re often more interested in big-picture stuff and not the detailed day-to-day work. Here’s what a good Champion does:
- Acts as the go-to person for any Scaling Up questions.
- Stays on top of the latest updates, tools, and ideas about the Rockefeller Habits.
- Regularly challenges the team to rethink what they’re doing: Are these KPIs still relevant? Is this strategy working?
- Tracks who’s been trained and who hasn’t and makes sure training happens.
- Builds support and gets everyone excited about Scaling Up, even if it’s new or unfamiliar.
What Does the Champion Actually Do?
The Scaling Up Champion is responsible for setting a budget for Scaling Up activities, creating a plan for improvements, and keeping everyone learning. This might mean reading books, attending workshops, chatting with other Champions, or visiting other companies to see how they do things. Every quarter, the Champion checks in on how things are going, finding ways to keep Scaling Up alive and well in the organization.
What Makes a Good Champion?
To be effective, a Scaling Up Champion needs a few key skills:
- Good Communicator: They need to explain things clearly so everyone gets the point.
- Focused on Quality: Always pushing for better results and not settling for “good enough.”
- Persistent: Sticking with the Scaling Up journey even when it gets tough.
- Vision Sharer: Getting people on board with the company’s goals and direction.
- On Top of Progress: Keeping an eye on how Scaling Up is going and making adjustments as needed.
The Difference a Champion Makes
A great Scaling Up Champion ensures that:
- Everyone understands Scaling Up and the Rockefeller Habits and can explain them to others.
- The team is excited about Scaling Up and actively wants to get involved in improvement projects.
- The company sees the positive effects of using Scaling Up.
- Successful improvement initiatives happen consistently, meeting key milestones on the Rockefeller Habits Checklist.
With a dedicated Scaling Up Champion, your business won’t just keep up—it’ll keep growing and evolving to reach its full potential.