Four traits of culture’s that scale

Last week I wrote about the challenge of creating scale while maintaining excellence.

Scale is the multiplication of excellence. If they want to scale past themselves, leaders must undergo the difficult transition to a new skill set. They must learn to set and direct (and obsess over) their organizational culture.

Here are four traits of culture’s that scale:

1. Big problems.

Your organization is a solution to a problem. Culture’s that scale don’t obsess about their solution, they obsess over the problem. They never stop talking about it, and dreaming about innovative ways to address it.

2. Trusting environments.

In cultures that scale, people have permission to play outside of tight boundary lines. They are trusted by one another, and therefore take more risks and recover from mistakes more quickly.

3. Margin.

In a culture that scale, you’ll find time and financial margin. You’ll find space in their physical environment and calendar to think, connect, and question the status quo.

4. Pace.

In organizations destined to scale, you’ll find deadlines that are manageable. You’ll see leaders who commit to less than they think is possible. While they make quick decisions, they are never in a hurry.

Leaders, the question is no longer whether you are the best in the world. The question is are you helping others become the best in the world. Creating environments where they flourish ensures the organization will live beyond you.