Why Your Organization Can Slide Backward (& How to Prevent It)
When most business leaders talk about growth, they immediately think of revenue increases, expanding headcount, or years in business. "We're a $10 million company to hit $15 million next year." "We've grown from 25 to 100 employees in three years." "We've been in business for two decades."
But here's the truth that might sting a little. None of these metrics actually measure organizational maturity—required for sustainable success.
Beyond Revenue: Understanding True Organizational Development
I've spent nearly three decades working with businesses across every imaginable sector, and I've observed a consistent pattern. Organizations can be generating millions in revenue while operating with the systems and leadership approaches of a startup. Meanwhile, relatively smaller companies can demonstrate remarkable operational sophistication, adaptability, and resilience that puts their larger competition to shame.
This disconnect is why my life's work has been testing and refining what is known as the Growth Alignment Framework™—to provide a predictable roadmap for understanding what true organizational development looks like beyond just the balance sheet.
The Chutes and Ladders Reality of Business Growth
Remember the children's board game Chutes and Ladders? You'd climb up ladders to advance quickly, but land on a chute and you'd slide right back down, losing all that progress in an instant. Organizational maturity works much the same way.
Breaking through a Crisis Catalyst™ (those pivotal challenges that signal it's time to evolve) doesn't guarantee you'll stay at that new level. In fact, without intentional focus on maintaining and reinforcing the systems, leadership approaches, and cultural elements that got you there, your organization can easily slide backward.
I've seen this countless times: A business successfully navigates the Crisis Catalyst™ of Stage 2—Getting Organized, establishing solid processes and role clarity to handle increased workload without breaking down. They climb the ladder to Stage 3—Growing Bigger and begin expanding into new markets.
But then something happens. Perhaps the founding leadership team gets distracted by new opportunities. Maybe they stop reinforcing the operational discipline that enabled their expansion. Suddenly, they find themselves sliding back down that chute, facing the same organizational chaos they thought they'd overcome.
The Agility-Adaptability Balance
Here's where understanding the rhythm of business becomes critical. At each stage of growth, your organization must balance two distinct capabilities:
Internal Agility—The ability to optimize, streamline, and refine internal operations, systems, and workflows. This is about effectiveness and efficiency.
External Adaptability—The ability to respond to market shifts, customer needs, competitive threats, and emerging opportunities. This is about relevance and positioning.
The stages in the Growth Alignment Framework™ naturally oscillate between these two focuses, much like breathing in and out:
Stage 1—Starting Up: External focus—adapting to market needs
Stage 2—Getting Organized: Internal focus—building systems and processes
Stage 3—Growing Bigger: External focus—expanding to new markets
Stage 4—Pulling Together: Internal focus—integrating and simplifying
Stage 5—Innovating Together: External focus—collaborating across boundaries
Stage 6—Staying Fresh: Balanced—self-adjusting between growth and operations
Organizations slide backward when they neglect whichever focus is most critical at their current stage. If you're in a stage requiring internal agility but you're fixated on external factors, you'll lose ground. Similarly, if you're in an externally-focused stage but obsessed with internal perfection, you'll miss the market opportunities that drive progress.
Is "Maturity" the Right Word?
Some might question whether "maturity" is the right term for this developmental journey. After all, it might imply a judgment—that early-stage organizations are somehow "immature" or less worthy of respect.
Believe me, I've wrestled with this terminology, but ultimately, I believe maturity is indeed the right concept. Here's why:
Much like human development, organizational maturity isn't about worth but about capability. A toddler isn't "less valuable" than an adult, but they do have different capabilities and face different developmental challenges. Similarly, a Stage 1 organization isn't less important than a Stage 6—Staying Fresh organization—they're simply at different points in their developmental journey, with different capacities for complexity, self-management, and value creation.
Maturity implies growth potential—a path forward rather than a fixed state. It suggests an evolution of complexity and capability that comes with experience, learning, and intentional development.
Beyond the Numbers: True Indicators of Organizational Maturity
If revenue, headcount, and business age don't indicate maturity, what does? Here are the true indicators I've observed in my work with thousands of organizations:
Crisis Response: How does your organization handle unexpected challenges? Do you blame external factors, or do you embrace your crisis as a catalyst for growth?
Decision Distribution: Are decisions concentrated at the top, or appropriately distributed throughout your organization based on role clarity and purpose?
System Sophistication: How interconnected, adaptable, and purpose-driven are you operational systems?
Cultural Alignment: Do your stated values match your organization's desired, observable behaviors? Does your culture support or hinder your strategic goals?
Learning Velocity: How quickly does your organization identify, integrate, and apply new insights?
An organization demonstrating maturity in these areas might be small but nimble, young but sophisticated, or focused but impactful in ways that traditional growth metrics can't capture.
Staying the Course: How to Prevent the Backward Slide
For inspired leaders committed to genuine organizational development, here are the five strategies to prevent sliding backward:
Know Your Current Stage: Use the Growth Readiness Scorecard™ to honestly assess where you are in the Growth Alignment Framework™. You can't navigate forward if you don't know your starting point.
Identify Misalignments: Look for disconnects between your leadership focus, cultural goals, and operational systems. Misalignment is the first sign of a potential backward slide.
Anticipate Your Next Crisis Catalyst™: Each stage has a predictable crisis that signals readiness for growth. Prepare for it rather than being surprised by it.
Maintain Balance: Recognize whether your current state requires internal agility or external adaptability, and ensure you're investing appropriately in both.
Foster Shared Accountability: Create a culture where everyone understands their role in maintaining and advancing organizational maturity. Check out my post on the Modern Day GPA™: to create conditions for Gratitude, Pride, and A sense of being part of something bigger.
The Journey Never Ends
The Growth Alignment Framework™ isn't a ladder you climb once and declare victory. It's a living system that requires continuous attention, refinement, and commitment.
Even organizations that reach Stage 6—Staying Fresh, with its self-adjusting systems and distributed leadership, must remain vigilant. The moment you believe you've "arrived" is often the moment you start sliding backward.
True organizational development is about orchestrating randomness—creating the conditions where seemingly "lucky" opportunities are actually the result of intentional systems, mindsets, and actions that position you to recognize and seize them.
What stage is your organization at today? Most importantly, what are you doing today to ensure you don't slide backward tomorrow?
Access this link, or scan the QR code below to complete your Growth Readiness Scorecard™ assessment.
Beyond Revenue: Understanding True Organizational Development
When most business leaders talk about growth, they immediately think of revenue increases, expanding headcount, or years in business. "We're a $10 million company to hit $15 million next year." "We've grown from 25 to 100 employees in three years." "We've been in business for two decades."
But here's the truth that might sting a little. None of these metrics actually measure organizational maturity.
I've spent nearly three decades working with businesses across every imaginable sector, and I've observed a consistent pattern. Organizations can be generating millions in revenue while operating with the systems and leadership approaches of a startup. Meanwhile, relatively smaller companies can demonstrate remarkable operational sophistication, adaptability, and resilience that puts their larger competition to shame.
This disconnect is why I developed the Growth Alignment Framework™—to provide a roadmap for understanding what true organizational development looks like beyond just the balance sheet.
The Chutes and Ladders Reality of Business Growth
Remember the children's board game Chutes and Ladders? You'd climb up ladders to advance quickly, but land on a chute and you'd slide right back down, losing all that progress in an instant.
Organizational maturity works much the same way.
Breaking through a Crisis Catalyst™ (those pivotal challenges that signal it's time to evolve) doesn't guarantee you'll stay at that new level. In fact, without intentional focus on maintaining and reinforcing the systems, leadership approaches, and cultural elements that got you there, your organization can easily slide backward.
I've seen this countless times: A business successfully navigates the Crisis Catalyst™ of "Getting Organized" (Stage 2), establishing solid processes and role clarity to handle increased workload without breaking down. They climb the ladder to "Growing Bigger" (Stage 3) and begin expanding into new markets.
But then something happens. Perhaps the founding leadership team gets distracted by new opportunities. Maybe they stop reinforcing the operational discipline that enabled their expansion. Suddenly, they find themselves sliding back down that chute, facing the same organizational chaos they thought they'd overcome.
The Agility-Adaptability Balance
Here's where understanding the rhythm of business becomes critical. At each stage of growth, your organization must balance two distinct capabilities:
Internal Agility—The ability to optimize, streamline, and refine internal operations, systems, and workflows. This is about effectiveness and efficiency.
External Adaptability—The ability to respond to market shifts, customer needs, competitive threats, and emerging opportunities. This is about relevance and positioning.
The stages in the Growth Alignment Framework™ naturally oscillate between these two focuses, much like breathing in and out:
Starting Up (Stage 1): External focus—adapting to market needs
Getting Organized (Stage 2): Internal focus—building systems and processes
Growing Bigger (Stage 3): External focus—expanding to new markets
Pulling Together (Stage 4): Internal focus—integrating and simplifying
Innovating Together (Stage 5): External focus—collaborating across boundaries
Staying Fresh (Stage 6): Balanced—self-adjusting between growth and operations
Organizations slide backward when they neglect whichever focus is most critical at their current stage. If you're in a stage requiring internal agility but you're fixated on external factors, you'll lose ground. Similarly, if you're in an externally-focused stage but obsessed with internal perfection, you'll miss the market opportunities that drive progress.
Is "Maturity" the Right Word?
Some might question whether "maturity" is the right term for this developmental journey. After all, it might imply a judgment—that early-stage organizations are somehow "immature" or less worthy of respect.
I've wrestled with this terminology, but ultimately, I believe maturity is indeed the right concept. Here's why:
Much like human development, organizational maturity isn't about worth but about capability. A toddler isn't "less valuable" than an adult, but they do have different capabilities and face different developmental challenges. Similarly, a Stage 1 organization isn't less important than a Stage 6 organization—they're simply at different points in their developmental journey, with different capacities for complexity, self-management, and value creation.
Maturity implies growth potential—a path forward rather than a fixed state. It suggests an evolution of complexity and capability that comes with experience, learning, and intentional development.
Beyond the Numbers: True Indicators of Organizational Maturity
If revenue, headcount, and business age don't indicate maturity, what does? Here are the true indicators I've observed in my work with thousands of organizations:
Crisis Response: How does your organization handle unexpected challenges? Do you blame external factors, or do you embrace your crisis as a catalyst for growth?
Decision Distribution: Are decisions concentrated at the top, or appropriately distributed throughout your organization based on role clarity and purpose?
System Sophistication: How interconnected, adaptable, and purpose-driven are you operational systems?
Cultural Alignment: Do your stated values match your organization's desired, observable behaviors? Does your culture support or hinder your strategic goals?
Learning Velocity: How quickly does your organization identify, integrate, and apply new insights?
An organization demonstrating maturity in these areas might be small but nimble, young but sophisticated, or focused but impactful in ways that traditional growth metrics can't capture.
Staying the Course: How to Prevent the Backward Slide
For inspired leaders committed to genuine organizational development, here are the five strategies to prevent sliding backward:
Know Your Current Stage: Use the Growth Readiness Scorecard™ to honestly assess where you are in the Growth Alignment Framework™. You can't navigate forward if you don't know your starting point.
Identify Misalignments: Look for disconnects between your leadership focus, cultural goals, and operational systems. Misalignment is the first sign of a potential backward slide.
Anticipate Your Next Crisis Catalyst™: Each stage has a predictable crisis that signals readiness for growth. Prepare for it rather than being surprised by it.
Maintain Balance: Recognize whether your current state requires internal agility or external adaptability, and ensure you're investing appropriately in both.
Foster Shared Accountability: Create a culture where everyone understands their role in maintaining and advancing organizational maturity. Check out my post on the Modern Day GPA™: to create conditions for Gratitude, Pride, and A sense of being part of something bigger.
The Journey Never Ends
The Growth Alignment Framework™ isn't a ladder you climb once and declare victory. It's a living system that requires continuous attention, refinement, and commitment.
Even organizations that reach Stage 6, with its self-adjusting systems and distributed leadership, must remain vigilant. The moment you believe you've "arrived" is often the moment you start sliding backward.
True organizational development is about orchestrating randomness—creating the conditions where seemingly "lucky" opportunities are actually the result of intentional systems, mindsets, and actions that position you to recognize and seize them.
What stage is your organization at today? Most importantly, what are you doing today to ensure you don't slide backward tomorrow?
Access this link, or scan the QR code below to complete your Growth Readiness Scorecard™ assessment.
