Business Growth and the Peter Principle

Executive recruiters and commercial lenders agreeWhich needs to grow first, the business or the
that it takes a different kind of leader to run a $20leadership?
million company that it does to run a $2 millionIt's a chicken and egg relationship. Executive recruiters
company. The same can be said about running $100and commercial lenders know that leadership is the
million and $1 billion companies. What makes theegg while business growth is the chicken. Leadership
difference? What qualities does a $100 million dollargrowth drives and sustains business growth.
leader possess that a $10 million dollar leader lacks? IsThe skills and behaviors required for getting sustained
it education? Technical expertise? Charisma? Politicalresults through others are not something we're born
cunning?with. They can be developed. Leaders who
The crux of the question lies in the word leader. Let'scontinuously grow provide the fuel for continuous
define leadership as: getting results through others andgrowth of their organizations.
apply this concept to your organization.When I hear a business owner say we just can't
* Have you been wanting to grow revenues to theseem to get the next level, I see an executive who
next level yet never manage to make it happen?has stopped improving the behaviors, attitudes and
* Have you reached a plateau in either market shareskills needed for getting sustained results through
or revenue?others.
* Did you experience a sales spike only to fall back toHave you encountered a revenue plateau? Is it
your previous level?possible your organization's leadership has plateau-ed?
* Do you have a strategy to grow to X level and thenWhat can you be doing do to avoid these plateaus?
stop as additional business is foreseen asAre you ready to explore new ways of moving to
unmanageable?greater heights?