TZL 1387 (web)

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O P I N I O N

Most leaders haven’t taken the time to reflect on their reasons to grow and, once understood, articulate them to others. How “grow” became a four-letter word

“G row just means more work for me and more rewards for you.” This is an increasing lament from practitioners to principals across our industry. What went wrong and, more importantly, how can we fix this?

There are many great reasons to grow as an organization and here are four I think most people can get behind on our teams and in our firms: 1)To stay in business. On a very basic level, projects don’t last forever. No matter how great a project is, it eventually comes to an end. We need to grow in terms of projects and clients just to replace the ones we have. 2)To create advancement opportunities. If we want to attract and retain great talent, we need to provide career growth and development opportunities. To do so, we need to grow beyond just the “replacement projects” that keep everyone busy. We need sufficient additional new growth to allow talent to “stretch” and take on new roles. 3)To make a difference. Whether through a well- defined mission, vision, or set of core values, we want to make an impact. We want to solve problems and create new opportunities through our work

and success and, if we’re really good, feel compelled – and even a moral obligation – to help as many clients, people, and communities as possible. 4)To create jobs and leave a legacy. We want to employ and develop as many great people as possible who, through our work, have an opportunity to support themselves and their families and to contribute to our greater good and society overall. Where does this begin to breakdown? First, most leaders and leadership teams haven’t taken the time to reflect on their reasons to grow and, once understood, articulate them to others. Question: What are your reasons to grow? How have they changed or evolved, and what does that growth mean to you and others both inside and beyond your organization?

Peter Atherton

See PETER ATHERTON, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER APRIL 12, 2021, ISSUE 1387

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