The psychology of purposeful growth
Growth is usually something we celebrate. More people, more opportunities, greater reach and, hopefully, greater impact. But in my work and study of leaders and organisations, I find myself returning to a question: what happens to the founding principles and people of the organisation when originally founded?
Growth brings change. The informal relationships that once held a team together become harder to maintain. Hierarchies become necessary. Decisions become more complex. New systems and processes are needed. And, sometimes, the original purpose can become harder to see beneath the demands of day-to-day delivery. None of this is inevitable. But, in my experience it does require attention.
When success comes at a cost
I have seen how organisations can become so focused on delivering their mission that they lose sight of the people delivering it. In one example, a team was deeply committed to its work and proud of its impact. But as the organisation expanded, workloads increased, communication became more difficult and people felt increasingly disconnected from decisions. There were more and more layers between the original team and the leaders, and many told me how they felt isolated, abandoned, stepped on.
The purpose had not changed. The experience of working towards it had. This is particularly important in mission-led organisations, where commitment to the cause can make people more willing to accept unsustainable demands. A meaningful purpose can be a powerful source of motivation. It should not, however, become a reason to overlook the wellbeing of the people who bring it to life.
What do we need to protect?
I don't believe the answer is to stop growing. Growth can create extraordinary opportunities and enable organisations to achieve things that would otherwise be impossible. The challenge is to grow consciously. To recognise that the leadership approaches that worked when a team was small may not work as it expands. To understand that culture is shaped by everyday decisions, not simply the values written on a website. And to remember that the way we achieve our goals matters just as much as the goals themselves.
For leaders navigating growth, I have found these three questions are worth asking:
What must we protect as we grow?
Are our everyday decisions reflecting the values we say matter?
What is the experience of growth for the people delivering it?
These questions are not always easy to answer. They require us to look beyond the numbers and listen to the people experiencing the organisation from different perspectives. I help organisations check in with themselves, and remedy where things are going wrong.
Growth with purpose
I believe that successful growth is not simply about becoming bigger. It is about building an organisation that can evolve without losing sight of why it exists. That requires more than strategy. It requires self-awareness, curiosity and a willingness to notice when the organisation we are becoming is drifting away from the one we intended to build.
This is not simply a nice to have. We know that the younger generations simply will not join or stay in organisations that do not promote inclusion and wellbeing. Without them, it is simply impossible to sustain any growth strategy.
As leaders, we have a responsibility to hold both ambition and humanity in view. Because growth should create possibilities, not simply more pressure. And perhaps the most important question is not just “how much can we grow?”
It is “what do we want our growth to make possible, and what are we unwilling to sacrifice along the way?”