Benefits of Attending a Public Scaling Up Workshop
by Scaling Up Coach, Rob Nankervis
Coach, Rob Nankervis pictured above.
Are you trying to decide which Scaling Up method of implementation is right for your business, and how much to invest? In considering what will help the most, a leader should evaluate several questions, such as; what is my aspiration for the business? Realistically where is my business now? Do I have a clear path forward? And who or what could help me along that path?
Many leaders find that attending a Public Scaling Up Workshop with a Certified Scaling Up Coach like myself, is a valuable option. Here are some common Q&A’s.
How does this kind of event specifically help leadership teams get a feel for Scaling Up?
A public Scaling Up workshop will usually address a couple of topics from each of the four key decisions: People, Strategy, Execution and Cash. Workshops are an action learning environment in which the Coach will teach a key Scaling Up principle, share an example of two to highlight the principle in action, and then get leaders using one of our tools to think about this topic for their own business. When I run these events, I move around to address any specific questions with the leadership teams and often hear groups from different businesses sharing ideas with each other.
What does a team learn during a workshop?
Coaches leading a public workshop will cover a number of elements from the Scaling Up approach, with the mix depending on the length of the session, any pre-determined needs of the attending group, and the preferred topics of the Coach.
A key learning for teams is the value of carving out time for important leadership discussions, and the utility of the Scaling Up framework in identifying areas of the business that need to be the focus of those discussions. Another part of the learning is the importance of asking the right questions. For instance, what values do we actually live in our business? What does the core customer really expect of us? How do we need to be better/different to our competitors? What are the metrics that will define success? Which priorities will help us hit those metrics (and what things are we currently doing that really don’t matter?) Do we have the right people to deliver on the choices we’ve made? … and so on.
The deeper thinking required on these questions won’t happen amidst the daily operational rumble of running a business. Leaders need to be deliberate about making time to work on the business, rather than just in it.
In terms of a financial investment, how does a workshop stack up against another format such as GI Masters or a long term one-on-one Coach?
Scaling Up workshops are priced similarly to other professional development and represent great value in terms of cost and time efficiency. Having led these workshops for many years, I find that there are several reasons why people choose to attend.
They’ve read the Scaling Up book and want to take things to the next level.
They have heard about Scaling Up through a colleague and want to get a taste of the approach.
They are experienced adopters of Scaling Up and want a refresher session.
The business is using Scaling Up and part of the onboarding for new employees is attending a public workshop.
Why would a company need a Coach to facilitate the workshop? Couldn’t the CEO facilitate?
There are several reasons why having a Coach in the room to facilitate can truly kickstart the momentum needed to achieve important goals.
The Coach already knows the framework, so it makes adoption faster.
As an outsider, the Coach can ask questions that perhaps insiders didn’t think about or were not sure how to ask, so you get to have the important discussions that your business needs.
Because the Coach facilitates your sessions, the senior leader gets to actually participate in the thinking and discussion.
The Coach will help you adopt a set of disciplines that get the important things done.
An easy first step to understanding Scaling Up is to source the Best-selling book. This will give you an understanding of the principles and case studies on how they’ve been applied. It would then be worth considering a public workshop to put a bit more colour around the framework. Finally, why not consider doing our Scaling Up Assessment and use that as the basis for an initial complimentary call with a Coach. It will surely help in your journey to drive the growth, performance and valuation of your business.
Learn more about Coach Rob Nankervis by clicking here.