The Challenge of Scaling!

My first assignment to Fort Bragg, now Fort Liberty, home of the airborne, was as the Deputy Corps Provost Marshal and Chief of Plans for the 16th Military Police Brigade. It was one of my life’s most significant learning experiences. In my twelfth year of service, after graduating from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, I joined a team at the XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters to develop the Panama invasion plan, Just Cause, to capture President Manuel Noriega.
We began planning in September 1989, with a diverse group spending twelve-hour days crafting a campaign plan launched in December 1989. The Timed Phased Force and Deployment List (TPFDL) laid out the timing, alignment, and sequencing for troop and equipment deployment and worked under the overarching campaign plan. Those four months of intense planning taught me crucial lessons about scaling operations.
Key takeaways included the importance of aligning all elements of the deploying force with the mission and ensuring that troop movements are timely, sequenced, and balanced. Successfully scaling an operation requires subordinate leaders to align their plans with the Corps campaign plan while gradually contributing combat, combat support, and combat service support capabilities to the mission. For instance, when infantry units flowed into the theater, they did so alongside military police and maintenance elements.
These lessons are equally applicable to companies looking to scale. Scaling can be a business’s most daunting challenge, necessitating careful cost control while investing in human capital and production capacity. It also requires alignment across all leadership levels with the company’s direction. While C-suite executives might set ambitious goals, subordinate managers must clearly outline resource requirements to support growth effectively.
Incrementally hiring new employees is crucial, as demand arises from the C-suite and filters down through leadership. Each employee increase in operations implies a corresponding rise in support staff needs across various functions. For instance, doubling a workforce from 500 to 1,000 requires anticipating and planning for these needs.
A common mistake occurs when organizations focus too heavily on frontline talent while neglecting support staff. This mistake undermines scaling efforts and can lead to declines in product quality and client service. To handle the anticipated surge in operations, it’s wise to prioritize hiring support staff early.
Scaling requires discipline and vigilance. Not only must all activities align at the onset of the expansion, but they must also maintain that alignment until the goal is achieved. Leaders must proactively manage hiccups during this process and foster an environment where deviations from the plan are communicated openly. Being disciplined in planning and vigilant in executing is essential for scaling any organization.
COL Paul A. Raggio (Ret), the owner of Five Star Leader Development, is an executive business coach who develops C-Suite executives, business owners, and their management teams on leadership, management principles, and best business practices. Contact him to achieve extraordinary results in your company! His email address is paul@fivestarleaderdevelopment.com, and his phone number is (252) 571-7368. Visit his website at https://www.fivestarleaderdevelopment.com.