Toolkit
Establishing the mission
Strategy
Frogs’ definition of strategy: “A competitive game-plan to achieve an important goal”. Particularly during the scale-up phase, where a degree of product-market fit has already been established, strategy is not about selling a vague market opportunity but rather combining a clear view of addressable market with a robust plan of action as to how this can be exploited. More importantly, recognising the unique resources, attributes and purpose your company has (and will need) to thrive in that environment.
Key expert
“As you scale a business it grows beyond senior management’s line of sight, so purpose and strategy are crucial from a communications perspective.”
David Williams, Operating PartnerView Profile
Building optimal teams
Talent
Hiring senior people smarter than you is uncomfortable, but winning your market requires a major step up in how you see Talent at scale. Investing systematically in culture, organisation and people to nurture and continually assess talent at all levels is essential as your business scales. Purpose-driven businesses have a significant advantage when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent. Seriously excellent people will help you to execute better and will also be involved in shaping strategy through bringing diverse, challenging views. Inevitably your team will evolve along with the challenges you face. An intentional approach to assessing performance, addressing competence gaps and anticipating the need to make a step change and take tough people decisions is necessary. A diverse senior team is essential to share the burden of responsibility for seeing and delivering the vision.
Key expert
“Attracting and integrating seriously excellent talent is one of the biggest challenges for scale-up leaders.”
John Sutherland, Operating PartnerView Profile
Achieving organisational clarity
Organisation
Scaling from around 50 people towards 500 and expanding internationally requires clear organisational ethos and structure at Board level. Setting out how the organisation should work and develop with the right strategic guidance and robust governance will be key to your success. World-class organisational thinking reinforces the company purpose, values and culture. Poor execution creates confusion and politics, and undermines the sense of purpose that you have instilled.
Key expert
“Excellent corporate organisation structure will drive discipline and accountability at all levels in a business.”
John Sutherland, Operating PartnerView Profile
