When Growth Isn't Linear: What One Leadership Assessment Revealed

Growth in business is rarely a straight line. Even the most successful organizations can find themselves operating at multiple stages of maturity at once—sometimes without even realizing it. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a senior leader at a large public-sector organization who completed the Growth Readiness Scorecard™. What we uncovered together is a lesson every leader should take to heart.

The Power of Honest Assessment

The Growth Readiness Scorecard™ is designed to diagnose where your organization is in the six-stage Growth Alignment Framework™—from scrappy startup to self-managed, purpose-driven powerhouse. But here’s what’s often overlooked: most organizations aren’t neatly in just one stage. In this case, the leader’s responses spanned five of the six stages, from foundational compensation systems (Stage 2—Getting Organized) all the way to aspirational measures of success (Stage 6—Staying Fresh).

What does this mean? It means that while some parts of the organization are focused on structured, process-driven work, others are already thinking about innovation, integration, and continuous improvement. This kind of “stage spread” is more common than you might think—and it’s often the hidden reason for friction, stalled progress, or internal confusion.

The good news: While the greatest challenge often feels like it centers on a single aspect—such as culture, employee engagement, or operational efficiency—the Growth Readiness Scorecard™ actually assesses ten distinct elements of your organization's level of maturity. In just about seven minutes, it delivers a wealth of insight, providing a comprehensive blueprint that accelerates your path to clarity and action. This holistic view ensures that you’re not just addressing surface-level symptoms, but uncovering the interconnected factors that drive true, sustainable growth .

Why Team Alignment Matters More Than Ever

One of the most illuminating moments in this process came when we mapped the leader’s results across all ten Scorecard dimensions. Clear gaps emerged: for example, reward structures were anchored in traditional systems, while the organization’s vision for ownership and impact reflected much more advanced aspirations. Leadership and culture were focused on regional growth and team enablement (Stage 3—Growing Bigger), yet the “Crisis Catalyst™” question surfaced concerns about innovation and ongoing relevance—issues typically seen in much later stages of maturity .

This is where the real work begins. No matter how visionary a leader may be, sustainable progress requires the entire leadership team to understand and align around their current stage of growth. Without this, even the best strategies can stall.

Leveraging the Team's Core Strengths for Breakthrough

To add another layer of insight, the Founder also completed the Core Value Index™ (CVI), which revealed a natural strength in systems thinking, relationship building, and creative problem-solving (known as "Innovator" and "Merchant"). These are exactly the capabilities needed to navigate complex, multi-stage environments. But the CVI also highlighted a classic blind spot: visionaries often need "Builder" or "Banker" partners to help drive execution and ensure that great ideas don’t get stuck in endless refinement. 

In essence, it's not just the stage that matters. It's the hard wiring of the team members that, when appropriately leveraged, accelerates breakthroughs to the next level of organizational maturity.

Three Steps to Orchestrated Advancement

If you suspect your organization is experiencing similar “stage span,” here’s what I recommend:

1. Assess, Don’t Assume
   Have your entire leadership team click this link to complete the Growth Readiness Scorecard™. You’ll quickly see where alignment exists—and where it doesn’t.

2. Map Your Team’s Strengths
   Click on the following link to to find out how your and other team members are wired to contribute. Are you heavy on vision and innovation, but light on structure and execution? The right mix is essential for breakthrough, and it varies from stage to stage.

3. Schedule a Strategic Session
   Click here to bring your team together to unpack the results. Use the Growth Alignment Framework™ as a common language for honest discussion. Identify one or two areas where alignment gaps are causing friction, and co-create a plan to move forward—intentionally, not accidentally.

The Bottom Line

Growth is never random. It’s orchestrated—by leaders and teams willing to pause, assess, and align before charging ahead. The organizations that thrive are those that treat misalignment not as a failure, but as an wonderful invitation to refine, realign, and accelerate together.

If you’re ready to see where your team stands—and what’s possible when everyone is pulling in the same direction—consider making the Scorecard and CVI part of your next leadership conversation. Your next breakthrough might be closer than you think.

Inspired by real-world application of the Growth Alignment Framework™ and the Growth Readiness Scorecard™. Contact us to explore how these tools can help your team orchestrate its next leap forward.