Why Growth is the Ultimate Measure of a Leader

How do you measure the success of a leader, a management team, a strategy, or for that matter an organization? Well, growth of course.  That is sustained and profitable growth, or growth at the top line, as well as the bottom line.

Obviously accelerating growth means growing revenue, as well as profits.  But focusing on revenue growth alone is not enough.  It also requires growth in terms of; customer loyalty, brand reputation, product and marketing innovation, as well as the commitment and skill of the organization’s people.

Sustained profitable growth typically requires accelerating performance right across the organisation.  That includes; speed of response, speed to market, speed to innovate, speed of decision making and most important of all speed of execution.  It also means accelerating; change and innovation, skills and capabilities, strategy and execution, plus a lot more besides.

While defining growth is relatively straight-forward, achieving it is not.  Any any CEO knows growth is complex and demanding.