Each stage is critical and sets the foundation for the next stage. Each has very different challenges, opportunities, and time frames.  

Each stage requires a very different leadership focus and team with very different capabilities.  

Each stage provides great opportunities for career growth. The biggest people challenges come when the individual, company, or both fail to understand what’s truly required at this stage.

Someone could be an amazing “Pioneer” and “Builder” and then become horribly bored at the “Operator” stage. Someone could deliver great outcomes at the “Refiner” stage and frustratingly struggle when moving to another business in the “Builder” stage.  

Each stage requires a different organizational structure as the business progresses from emerging through scaling.  

When preparing to scale, the organizational structure must be adjusted to balance out leadership development with the efficiency of specialization.

When scaling up, the growth will be so rapid that the team must constantly be planning the organizational structure for 2X and 5X the current size.