Slow Growth Doesn't Make you a Bad Head of Growth
How to make your own success during slow growth periods
Hi there,
Struggling with the occasional slow growth month? You're not alone!
Ever had those terrifying moments in the boardroom, feeling all eyes on you as the Head of Growth, especially when the numbers aren’t skyrocketing?
I’ve been there—sweaty palms, a room filled with tense questions like "Why aren’t we growing faster?" Trust me, the struggle is real.
But here's a comforting truth: Slow growth doesn't mean you're bad at your job. Yep, you read that right.
Embracing Slow Growth
We often wear our growth percentages like badges of honour. But let’s face it, not every month can be a record-breaker.
I've had my share of 4%, 9% growth months, even negative growth months and they felt like a cold splash of failure at the time.
But they were far from that.
It's all about perspective. Growth isn’t just a number—it’s an ongoing process of learning, adapting, and overcoming challenges. Sometimes, that means taking the slow road.
-
The Real Culprit? Maybe It's the Title!
"Head of Growth"—sounds like you alone wield the power to propel or tank the company’s revenue, right? Wrong.
Growth is a team sport. It's not just marketing or product; it’s everyone’s business.
So, let’s stop the blame game.
It’s easy to fall into a culture of finger-pointing when targets are missed. But what if we shifted to a culture of curiosity and collaboration instead?
Problems are rarely solved by asking "Who’s to blame?" but rather "What can we improve?" and “What did we learn?”
-
Skills for the Ups and Downs
Being a fantastic Head of Growth doesn’t just mean pulling magical growth rates out of a hat. It's about resilience, strategy, and leadership, especially when the going gets tough.
It's about looking beyond the obvious and driving change that counts.
Remember, being a Head of Growth (or even sometimes Head of Shrinking) means riding out the highs and the lows. It's about using those slow periods as fuel to delve deeper, get innovative, and come back stronger.
Recommendation
Next time you are feeling down about the tough moments check out the Delivering Value Podcast by Andrew Capland. It talks a lot about the real challenges of being a Head of Growth in terms of imposter syndrome, difficult conversations and more.
I even have my own episode full of confessions of my hardest moments on there.
-
So next time the growth isn’t as explosive, don’t beat yourself up. Dive into the data, keep your curiosity alive, and remember—you're playing a long game here!
Until next time, keep growing (even if it’s slow)!
Daphne
Head of Growth (and occasional Head of Shrinking)
Thanks for reading this week’s Growth Waves! If you were forwarded this email, subscribe to receive free weekly growth tips :)