Maintaining a Sense of Urgency at Scale

Last week two different growth-stage entrepreneurs brought up the question of how to maintain a sense of urgency at scale (e.g. > 50 employees). When it’s a small team toiling away, it’s easy to maintain a sense of urgency just by constantly talking about the challenges and opportunities by motivating the team directly. As the company grows beyond the founders, that same passion and energy has to be translated through the culture. Peter Drucker came up with the famous phrase “culture will eat strategy for breakfast.”

Here are a few thoughts on maintaining a sense of urgency at scale:

• Decide on the core values, especially ones related to a sense of urgency and focus, then incorporate them into all aspects of the business
• Ensure the Simplified One Page Strategic Plan is current and accurate so that everyone is aligned around the company’s objectives
• Spend time through team meetings and town halls emphasizing the opportunity and the need to move quickly (even more critical in winner-take-all or winner-take-most markets)
• Incorporate an urgency story in each Weekly Team Update
• Increase communication as the company grows (communication always needs to grow faster than the company grows)

Maintaining a sense of urgency at scale comes down to the culture and communication. Set the foundation and reiterate the message.

What else? What are some more thoughts on maintaining a sense of urgency at scale?