All companies going through tremendous growth and expansion face one enemy: Doubt.

Doubt in themselves and doubt from others.

During times of expansion, we’ve all seen companies try to use what’s worked in the past. Some processes, systems, methods and mindsets work, as they’ve been built from the heart of the organization. But many of these marketing, sales, operational and financial practices need to be renovated, and even, truthfully, demoed in order to realize the new opportunities that are emerging.

I’ve seen this in many organizations across all industries. One industry that has caught my eye recently has been the construction industry. With a massive explosion in my area of new buildings and renovation projects happening, small to medium sized companies are exploding in work and and a need for workforce.

What I’ve witnessed, as myself and my family are in the process of acquiring a new home has confirmed in me and us here at W Company that purpose and aligning all you do with it, is critical in ensuring success over the short and long term as these companies seek to secure and maintain their market, employees and credibility that they’ve spent years building.

Most companies experience loss of key leaders that have been there since the beginning. This happens for several reasons. Those that started with the company in the early days, may not like where the new opportunities are heading. They may want to “keep it the way it was”. Or they fear they will lose the heart of who they are. They’ve built the company to one size and now the company needs to build itself to handle the expansion. Many mid-level managers and supervisors disconnect, and begin to devalue their people and the company, as the weight of the expansion becomes overwhelming. People are promoted into management that are great at what they do, but ill equipped to manage people. This is devastating and in many cases, crippling to a company that becomes vulnerable during growth.

Companies and the people that serve within them become vulnerable during times of expansion and growth. It is natural, once you step into new lands, uncertainty and doubt lie waiting to dismantle any good that can come from these new opportunities on the horizon. All it takes is one person within a team or organization to doubt for the seeds to be planted. Just one seed of doubt can grow and demolish what was once a strong foundation.

A great company requires the right exterior. And the right exterior can only be built on an interior that is in integrity, free from doubt.

Doubt destroys integrity. That’s it’s job. When we doubt, we all lose out.

The right way to combat doubt during expansion requires three steps:

1. Clarify Your Purpose
2. Align All You Do With That Purpose
3. Lead With Purpose As You Stand On The Right Foundation

This simple framework, allows you to build everything on integrity and results with you being valued for your contribution as you are able to deliver on the one promise that everyone expects you to. This is interior and exterior working together to maintain the integrity of the whole.

We’ve seen far too many great companies lose the heart of their organization as they grow and expand. And I see this happening in the construction industry all around me. Not to mention the rental market. That’s for another post. And as these companies lose the heart, and the focus on the promise they must deliver on, they end up hiring people and implementing processes, products and services that change the culture and integrity that every client they ever served hired them for.

Without the heart, and alignment to it, the company dies a slow death. During a time of growth, companies must:

1. Protect What Matters (Their Heart. Their Value)
2. Provide What Matters (Deliver on the one promise others expect them to)
3. Prove What Matters (Align to their purpose – Secure their value – Build trust that lasts)

Clarifying your purpose, aligning all you do with it and leading from it, together, builds trust, competency, and loyalty from staff and customers immediately.

This stuff is simple, but not easy. The principles and practices around clarifying, aligning, and leading with purpose are simple, but from our experience in leading other companies and leaders through an expansion, it isn’t easy and requires outside help.

I’m sure you can appreciate this: A business needs the right interior to protect and uphold its public exterior. And the opposite holds true. The right exterior protects and upholds the value of the interior.

We, here at W Company, are simply here to help you realize your purpose. We do that so you are valued for your contribution, everywhere you are. With the right interior, we can determine the right exterior which will withstand any expansion caused by the changing elements of the market or customer demand. This ensures you avoid harmful distractions that rob you of your value where it matters. This creates a company, team and culture that remains in integrity together, defeating doubt and its best friend betrayal, every step of the way.

Know this: Everywhere you doubt, we all go without. You have something incredible to give as a leader and company as you realize your purpose in all you do. You know that. You’ve proven that to this point. And everywhere you doubt, we all lose out on that amazing gift you and your team bring to those you serve.

Allowing your team to understand the purpose and see themselves in the purpose of your company (a vital step missed by 96% of other companies) will automatically maintain the needed integrity in the culture, operations and public face of the company.

I invite you to check out our Lead Framework™ and our private Valued Company™ workshops here on our site at www.wcompany.ca/valuedcompany.

Here’s what I recognize: The heart of your company must live on, in the lives of those you are meant to serve, built to last, on integrity. The peace of mind that you have provided since you started is obviously cherished and valued by your true clients, the ones that get it. Let’s ensure you thrive through this expansion.

You can start with our Valued Course™ below. It’s free and will give you a taste of the profound transformation purpose brings to the hope your team and customers experience, the meaning that is unlocked in all you do and the life that is breathed back into your entire organization where you have become disconnected and disengaged. With 80% of today’s global workforce disengaged, we have an epidemic on our hands. Imagine burning 80% of your resources everyday and having to deliver on all your customers expect and demand of you. That’s a world without purpose.

Use this free course to get your purpose laser focused. Then we can pinpoint your biggest opportunities and show you how to discern where they are in the future so that you avoid the distractions that doubt wants to throw in your way, causing you to stumble and fail where it matters most.

Chat soon.