CHAPTER 1
The Paradox of Growth
“I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward”
—DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE1
Growth is rarely in a straight line. It is tempting to think otherwise, particularly when looking in the rearview mirror, but anyone faced with plotting the coordinates for a company’s growth knows the fallacy of this notion. As much as we like to think of corporate leaders executing surefire growth strategies, the truth is far messier: growth is more often the outcome of an informed set of hunches (called strategies), a lot of tenacity and resolve, some experimentation, and yes, a little bit of luck—more an act of exploration and discovery than a step-by-step process.
Over the last several years, we have worked with dozens of companies ...
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