In my new capacity as an EIR at Balderton Capital, I recently gave a presentation to a leadership meeting at a high-growth, Balderton-backed startup offering my perspectives on growth and the challenges that come with it.
I discussed these five challenges:
- Next-levelitis, an obsessive focus on scaling everything to the next level. (Which is great if not overdone.)
- Absorbing new leaders, (aka, “FBI guys”) and the challenges that come when hiring the wrong next-level people and they blow themselves up at the start.
- Conflation of regional culture and opinion, a common problem in international expansion. (What’s a bona fide regional difference vs. a difference of opinion masked as one?)
- Missing an opportunity that you want (aka, getting “passed over” for a promotion) and what to do about it.
- Getting things wrong to get other things right. Startups are 100% about getting what matters right. Which begs the question, what matters?
The slide deck is below.
By the way, you have to watch the referenced Die Hard videos; they do a superb job of portraying what it feels like in these situations:
“I’m Dwayne Robinson … and I’m in charge here.”
“Not any more.”
Dave, the image of the presentation does not resolve to a link to it.
Anyone else having the same problem?