by Rachel Turner, as seen on Business Plus
Summary: The importance of scaling leadership as a company grows and provides a WAM model outlining three key leadership modes for founders to develop.
This article emphasizes the importance of scaling leadership as a company grows and provides practical guidance for founders on how to adapt their leadership style to meet the evolving needs of the business. There are many challenges faced by founders who fail to adapt their leadership style as their business grows and this article provides a WAM model that outlines three key leadership modes for founders to develop as they scale their business. These modes include the Brave Warrior, Considered Architect, and Wise Monarch, which correlate to the three different stages of business growth. Successful founders are those who can adapt and flex their leadership style according to the stage of business growth and the challenges faced.
The WAM model helps founders to remember how they need to show up at different stages of their business and suggests that the Brave Warrior mode is suitable for the start-up phase of the business, where founders need to be single-minded, bulletproof, fast, innovative, adaptable, and comfortable with risk. The Considered Architect mode is suitable for the scale-up phase of the business, where founders need to be team/systems thinkers, calm, unflappable, expert planners, and able to systematise. Lastly, the Wise Monarch mode is suitable for the grown-up phase of the business, where founders need to be strategists, have gravitas and presence, be politically astute, and be the chief diplomat, strategist, and figurehead.