- Published on
High Growth Handbook
- Authors
- Name
- Josh Haines
- @joshhaines
Introduction
This was a book that was actually recommended by ChatGPT when I was working through a tricky part of my growth journey. I had recently taken on a new executive role and was wrestling with some problems I couldn't sort out. Eventually I realized it was a bad case of "Founder Scale Chaos" as our Software Factory team grew and I was essentially now the bottleneck preventing proper scaling. As I was grasping for any straw I could find, this book was one of the recommendations. It didn't end up solving my problem, but it made my to read list.
Overall, I'd put this book as more of a reference manual for problems founders go through as they start to get to the later growth stages. It references various successful companies that have made the various transition journeys successfully. Below, I'll list four key concepts that stood out for me. I'll note that since I'm writing this review about 9 months past that sticking point, these key concepts land differently than they would have if I was still stuck.
Actual Job for an Executive or CEO
The first concept is driving home the point about the actual job of an executive or CEO. Of course these people should be leaders. Of course they should manage their people effectively. Of course they should be customer focused. The key point the author makes though is that they should not be doing the work, they should be Building the Machine that Does the Work.. This is a powerful idea and one that can be hard to climb out of.
Many people who become executives started as Doers who were first successful as individual contributors. It can be hard to make the transition, but until you embrace it you can't really begin to accelerate. It took me longer to learn this lesson and adapt than I would have liked as there was a time that building a digital product super fast late at night was how I was delivering value. Now, I need to build the processes that deliver the value.
Organizational Debt
The next concept is around the idea that an organization (or team or team of teams) needs to reinvent itself multiple times as it scales. What works for one size makes no sense for a different size. This is a good lesson and one I unfortunately had to grind through rather than smoothly execute through.
The processes I used in the early phases of the Software Factory helped us grow and become a solid organization that had a reputation for quality, speed, and security. Those same processes later became handcuffs as we started to scale and formalize because the bottlenecks changed.
When I run this playbook again I'll hopefully recognize the warning signs earlier and ensure the next structure is ready when it's needed.
Speed Initially, Then Systems
The third concept covers the transition from speed to systems. Initially, startups and small teams win on speed. They move faster, are more agile, and deliver at a pace large organizations can't touch with a nearly limitless ability to pivot. Later, this speed and flexibility becomes a detriment.
Eventually the organization scales to the point it needs infrastructure, processes, reliability, and predictability. If you try to rely on speed in these moments serious things will break and the walls may crumble. It's the job of strong leaders to see the warning signs and make sure processes are ready when they're needed.
Culture Over Performance
Finally, the author mentions repeatedly about the idea that culture needs to be built intentionally. He uses the phrase "No Brilliant Jerks" to drive this point home. You should always choose someone with the right personality and culture fit over a higher performer who will damage the group culture. The larger the company or organization gets, the more important this is. You must know your values, repeat them often, and support them at every turn.
