“Company growth depends entirely on the quality of the employees.”
We think this statement is true. Some people disagree: "What about the market? the international supply chain? the economy? Isn’t company growth affected by these factors?" they ask.
Well, yes. We’d be naive to ignore these environmental factors. But just like a big rock can overcome all sorts of mountainside terrain at the call of gravity, a company will go nearly wherever the gravitational force of its employees pulls (ideally, forward).
We believe in the power of people, and especially the power of partnership.
Consider what Warren Buffett said in this regard:
By this definition, anyone in a company can be a partner, not just founders and other shareholders in the business.
Let’s examine this principle by considering the approach to work taken by a fictional growth partner employee:
Jeremiah is a partner—a growth partner. Not because he owns stock or has an agreement that grants him legal status as a partner. It’s his commitment to the success of the company and his consistently superior performance that distinguishes him from fellow employees.
Here’s what CEOs say about growth partners like Jeremiah:
✔️ They have it done before I even ask.
✔️ I can trust them with anything.
✔️ Their ideas have changed this company.
✔️ Their work ethic is unmatched.
✔️ I’m so glad I hired them.
When every employee is committed to the achievement of the shareholders’ vision—and works as if it’s their own—company growth is inevitable. That’s not only a not-so-secret secret, it’s an absolute truth. Growth partners accelerate company growth. And a culture of growth partners can make that growth exponential.
We developed the growth partner philosophy after working with hundreds of companies across America. In our 27 years of consulting, we have seen the same problems over and over again.
Business leaders feel the performance of their
people doesn’t justify what they’re paying them.
Employees act more entitled than committed.
People behave like they are hired to fill a position instead of fulfill a role.
They don’t take ownership of the outcomes their roles exist to produce.
We’ve learned that the overriding solution to these and other related problems is the same: focus on transforming employees into growth partners.
We've also learned that most business leaders aren’t sure how to build growth partners. Transforming a group of people who simply “do their job” into a team of growth partners is not easy. People—their motivations, habits, and ideas—are complicated. If you lead a business, you’ve experienced this firsthand.
But complicated doesn’t mean impossible. It simply means that overcoming that complication requires a commitment to change and the implementation of an intentional approach.
We knew our clients would reap rich dividends from transforming their people into growth partners. So we focused on the most obvious thing standing in their way of making that happen: old-school, generic compensation strategies don’t build growth partners.
This philosophy led VisionLink on a mission to provide education and thought leadership that helps business leaders attract and retain talent that perform as growth partners. Our commitment to this principle is so deep that it led us to assemble over 25 CEOs, authors, advisors, and other business leaders in an event where they could share solutions for the talent, performance, and cultural issues that keep businesses from developing true growth partners. And thus, Accelerate 2023 was born.
This virtual event was roundly praised for the quality and depth of the learnings attendees experienced. To get a flavor for why so many felt that way, check out this 90-second video.
You can watch any or all of the sessions of Accelerate 2023 on demand for only $29. But act soon. This offer is only available through December 31.
Follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook for updates on Accelerate 2024. Don’t miss the chance to hear about cutting-edge strategies for building growth partners as we post announcements regarding our scheduled events for the year ahead.
