Rhythm

“Complexity Ceiling”

Companies that enjoy robust growth inevitably run into complexity ceilings that hamper operations and make management difficult. These roadblocks tend to crop up at distinct milestones – 50 staffers, 100 staffers, $15 million in sales, $100 million in sales – which vary in their nature and timing from company to company. Such complexity barriers render previously productive management practices ineffective. Super-hot firms begin to cool down, and soon become indistinguishable from their stuck-in-the-mud competitors.

The “rhythm” for turning around this negative dynamic is simple, but seldom easy. Companies must anticipate the future instead of focusing on metrics that measure the past. Those at the highest level of management must ask probing questions about what lies ahead. This inquiry helps your executive team think about – and prepare for – upcoming problems and opportunities. Follow this overall rhythmic pattern to place your firm in the best possible position to cope with the “ceilings of complexity” that growth companies inevitably face as they hit new milestones. Once you orient to the future, you can adjust quickly to new challenges and...