The Key Strategies for Scaling a Business; More Than Just an Experienced CEO

May 15, 2024 – Scaling a business is an important milestone that many companies hope to accomplish. However, the common misconception is that it takes an experienced CEO at the helm to successfully navigate this crucial phase. In reality, scaling has more to do with readiness, purpose, and a specific set of required leadership traits and skills that often shift as the company grows and matures. Understanding the evolving competencies required for scaling and ensuring the right leadership and skill sets are in place are what truly determines a company’s success.

“In small companies, leaders and their teams frequently take a hands-on approach to the work – they have to because it’s all hands on deck,” said Robert C. Satterwhite, partner & head, leadership advisory practice at Odgers Berndtson. “As companies try to grow and scale, however, most leaders struggle to let go of the day-to-day tasks. Thus, they often continue to stay in the weeds and prefer to be involved in everything. As a result, they easily become bottle-necks for processes and decisions, which undercuts the responsiveness and agility of the entire organization.”

“Leaders must be willing to develop, coach, delegate, and empower their teams, which then provides them with the bandwidth to operate at a higher, more strategic level,” Dr. Satterwhite said.

“Boards must understand that the leaders that got the organization to a certain point may not necessarily be the leaders who will take the company to the next level without support and investment in their development,” said John McFarland, partner and the head of the U.S. healthcare practice at Odgers Berndtson. “Boards can use assessments to objectively identify the strengths to leverage and the areas to develop as well as the risks and potential derailers to mitigate and manage. Executive and team coaching can then be used to support and accelerate development in parallel with the company’s evolving leadership needs.”

“A diverse board can provide refreshing insights on legacy challenges as well as push members and the executive team to proactively contemplate and prepare for changes in the competition, technology, markets, consumer tastes, etc.,” said Mr. McFarland.

“Leading the way you have always led rarely works as a company scales and evolves,” said Dr. Satterwhite. “Each new phase often demands different skills from a leader and his/her team. Investing in talent has a significant ROI because it permits a company to retain knowledge, customer relationships, etc. while also stretching leaders to better meet the needs of their growing teams.”

Join Hunt Scanlon Media tomorrow at 1:00 PM EDT for an enlightening session that transcends conventional wisdom. Our panel of esteemed leaders and innovators will delve into the intricacies of scaling beyond the boardroom. They will uncover the pivotal roles of readiness, purpose, and evolving leadership competencies that define the success of scaling endeavors.

Don’t miss this opportunity to redefine scaling success for your organization. Secure your spot now and prepare to unlock the true potential of your leadership and strategy in driving your company’s growth beyond the horizon.

Free registration … Click here to sign up!

The Speakers

Robert Satterwhite is a partner at Odgers Berndtson and oversees the firm’s leadership advisory practice designing, managing, and delivering selection, onboarding, development, succession, and coaching programs. In this capacity, he provides actionable, metrics-backed, and context-relevant insights and support to executives and their teams, up-and-coming leaders and high-potentials, and boards. For the past 25 years, Dr. Satterwhite has consulted with private and public-sector organizations from small non-profits to the largest companies in the world and worked in nearly all industries, including industrial, manufacturing, CPG, transportation, aerospace and defense, retail, energy, pharma, telecommunications, internet and technology, private equity, financial services, insurance, and government.

John McFarland is a partner and the head of the U.S. healthcare practice at Odgers Berndtson. In this role, he uses his deep experiences, expertise, and relationships to help clients (public, private and not-for-profit) across the healthcare ecosystem find the executive talent they need to achieve their business objectives. Prior to joining Odgers Berndtson, Mr. McFarland spent nearly a decade in executive search and worked at Ernst & Young (now EY) where he consulted with healthcare organizations and gleaned a unique perspective for all aspects of the industry.

Jessica Deckinger is the founder and CEO of Mint Marketing, a global marketing operating firm, based in Boston, MA. She is also an operating partner at private equity firm Clearhaven Partners. Prior to founding Mint, Ms. Deckinger spent several decades honing her commercial growth skills in leadership roles at leading B2C and B2B companies including Everbridge (EVBG), Humana (HUM), Wolverine Worldwide (WWW), PIM Brands (Welch’s Fruit Snacks) and Avon Products (AVP). Jessica was an executive leader for three startups with successful exits – MCX (retail/fintech consumer app), Adeo (biotech/CPG Inspired start baby food) and EDGE (healthTech).

Jeff Ward is currently chief executive officer of Guardian Fall, the largest independent provider of height safety products and services. He also serves as a non-executive director of the British Safety Industry Federation. Prior to that, he was CEO of Centurion Safety Products which design and manufacture above-the-neck safety equipment. Before that, he was a senior general manager at Britax Child Safety, Storch-Ciret Group, and Newell Brands. Mr. Ward has spent 20 years in industrial & consumer durables and has worked and lived in the U.S., the U.K., and Germany.

Jason Osterhage is president and chief executive officer of Everwise Credit Union, a position he has held since March of 2022. Prior to that, he accumulated broad senior leadership experience in financial services at several large and progressive cooperative banking institutions. Mr. Osterhage began his financial services career in 2005 at Delta Community Credit Union in Atlanta, overseeing a range of functions, including lending, corporate strategy, program management, human resources, and enterprise data analytics. In 2012, he joined Alliant Credit Union in Chicago as chief lending executive. During his nine years there, in addition to leading all lending functions, he oversaw banking product strategy, member experience, retirement/wealth services, and led the organization’s agile and digital transformation programs. Mr. Osterhage serves on the board of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce and actively participates in the Indiana chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization.