You may ask the question: The research Fischer did was quite a while ago. Is it still relevant? Can I still feel confident in the 7 Stages of Growth as a valuable methodology to share with my clients?
I would be the first person to question the value of this information, as I worked with Fischer for five years and have been a student of it since 2002. I have personally talked to over 5,000 CEOs, delivered over 300 X-Ray assessments, delivered 75 X-Rays and worked with many business owner’s one-on-one, sharing this valuable resource with them to help them uncover the obstacles constricting their growth.
The short answer is ‘Yes’. The information still resonates, business owners continue to validate the challenges that they are dealing with at a specific stage of growth and the dialogue that comes out of the X-Ray continues to help companies improve performance.
I also continue to ask my GCS who have delivered X-Rays this question: did the people you were working with find the information valuable – did the X-Ray exercise help them clarify issues and concerns and get -resolution?
Statistics to Share
Currently, over 600+ X-Rays have been delivered in 9 countries! Of course, the majority of those have been in the United States and Canada. But our GCS have delivered this powerful program in Germany, Australia, Central America, Indonesia, Romania, Malaysia, Taiwan and Ireland.
We have impacted thousands of CEOs and their teams, directly as well as indirectly. Industries impacted include technology, automotive, accounting, medical, construction, energy, aerospace, HVAC, Infrared ovens and heaters, helicopters, tooling, food products, manufacturing, pharmacies, retail, landscaping, property management, oil & gas, credit unions, Co-Ops, real estate, facility management, fitness, engineering firms, media, pest control, community development, and non-profits.
Again, each time I probe the outcomes, as the research was conducted on companies all within the United States, and question if the concepts and the ideas generated from the 7 Stages of Growth resonated with business owner’s outside the U.S., the answers to date have always been very positive.
It is All About the People
And remember. The 7 Stages of Growth is the ONLY concept that has growth stages captured based on the number of employees. No one else has connected these dots. That sets us apart from many other experts and provides us with a unique differentiation in the marketplace. One that we should make sure we explain clearly in our marketing materials, on our websites and in our blog posts.
The fact that this model is based on identifying stages of growth based on the complexity of an organization and that complexity is created by people – not revenue or net profits – makes us stand out among a very crowded field of business consultants vying for the attention of small business owners.
And It’s Predictive
In addition, ours is the only model that allows a small business owner to look ahead to when they will be adding new employees and be able to actually PREDICT what they need to focus on tomorrow.
Imagine a CEO with the ability to know the company would be hitting Stage 4, with 35 – 57 employees, seeing that they have to devote 70% of their time managing, and making the intentional decision to step down as the CEO (because they had no interest in spending their time managing people), hiring someone to take over the role of CEO who was exceptionally good at managing people and operations, and watching the company exceed all key indicators for growth (true story!). The 7 Stages of Growth has the ability to help companies stay ahead of their growth curve.
So, if you have any concerns about the validity of the research, please know that I am forever watchful and am taking steps to continue the research.
The bottom line? We rock at helping companies achieve critical alignment, which drives engagement and ultimately leads to effective implementation.
Your success. My passion.
Laurie Taylor, FlashPoint!
