Sean Ryan

Scale your systems and team for growth  In my last post , I shared a story about a fast-growing company that hit a wall when a critical piece of equipment failed, and an essential system (in this case, shipping) hit its limits. Everything breaks at scale. But they survived this perfect storm. Why? Before the crisis, they had begun investing in key fundamentals, in particular the leadership team that successfully steered them through the storm.  If you want to scale without imploding, there...

Get in gear for growth before it arrives A few weeks ago, I was on-site with a fast-growing company we’ve been working with for a few years. They’re on a tremendous growth trajectory, with annual sales increases of 30-35% over the last few years. This year, they are on track for even bigger gains. It’s not far-fetched to predict they might double their revenues before too long. Their incredible success is exciting to be around and support. But it can also be nerve-racking.  Early this year,...

For the first time, I can finally say this with confidence: the manuscript for Lead With Character  (working title) is complete! It’s been a long journey, longer than I initially expected. In hindsight, that might be the point. This book couldn’t have been rushed. It needed time to be tested, challenged, reshaped, and lived. It took multiple conversations and many hours of reflection to articulate first to myself, then to future readers, its central premises.  Because Lead With Character...