Scaling up your business? Then you need to scale up your team.

Market demand and sales strategy are vital; but so are supply chain, financial forecasting and growth funding to name just a few. But if you’re going to succeed in taking your business to the next level, one of the most critical ingredients for success will be having a team around you that not only have the skills and experience you need now, but are also able to respond positively to change and the increased complexity and pace that can come with high levels of growth.

In short, you need to have people who can grow ‘with’ the business.

Identify those who can deal with increased scale and complexity, and those that can’t, early, and act. This will reduce stress and the number of the pressure points you will encounter in the future, and be better for all in the longer term.

Time invested in assessing your team’s strengths and any gaps you have will pay dividends in the longer term, so here’s a few questions to ask yourself when you look at your team;

-Do they have the skills and knowledge the business needs, not just for where it is now, but where you want to be?

-Are they resilient, adaptable and committed? (Or are some already showing signs of ‘growth fatigue’?)

-Does the team structure you have in place now enable people to develop their roles and skills to match what the business will need going forward?

-Do you have the right people in the right roles? (Or would some be better deployed elsewhere?) 

-Do they show passion for the business and see the benefits of growth for themselves?

If the answer to any of the above questions is ‘no’, then this is likely to act as a barrier to successful growth. Addressing the above issues, understanding the impact they are likely to have and acting quickly to put the right structure and team in place now will ensure a much smoother growth journey, rather than waiting for the cracks to appear as the scale of your business increases. You might like to have a look at our BHP Management Academy.