As companies transition from start-up venture to professionally managed organization, there are predictable growing pains. These include:
- People spend too much time “putting out fires,” or
- People lack understanding about where the firm is headed, or
- People feel that “I have to do it myself if I want it done correctly.”
For founders and CEOs there is another point that is too often painful: as companies grow, jobs narrow, even for those at the top.
There is an excellent book by Eric Flamholtz and Yvonne Randle called Growing Pains: Transitioning from an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm that helps you understand and navigate this transition.
Flamholtz and Randle:
- Seek to demystify the process of transitioning successfully from start‐up venture to professionally managed organization.
- Provide information about the stages of the growth process, including tips for success at each stage as well as indicators that a venture has gone awry.
Download an abstract and take the quiz to determine if your business is experiencing these growing pains.
