The Vulnerability of Fast-Growing Companies including #physicaltherapy
Hey #PhysicalTherapy community,
This week's post was inspired by reading fellow physical therapist Josh D’Angelo’s Substack-Business For the People. It is fantastic to see more PTs hitting the newsletter trail and sharing experience in the more frightening than ever #physicaltherapy business world! His most recent post was on the #1 way he measures growth, and he nailed the most mature answer by basing it on how much he is learning. This reminded me of efforts to communicate the pitfalls, attractiveness, and illusion of growth.
This topic is as important as it is overlooked: the vulnerability of fast-growing companies. Growth is great, but it can be a recipe for disaster without the right foundation. So, let’s talk about psychological safety, vulnerability, and how to build a culture that not only withstands rapid growth but thrives on it.
Psychological Safety: Risk Without Embarrassment
Psychological safety is the cornerstone of a thriving company. It’s the shared belief that your team is a safe place for taking risks — where saying “I messed up” won’t get you punished or humiliated. This isn’t just a touchy-feely concept; it’s a critical factor for innovation and improvement.
In a fast-growing company, the emphasis often shifts to scaling up (or what some refer to as “professionalizing,” which, in my experience, is code for screwing up) rather than honing skills and improving processes. But here’s the kicker: fast-improving companies outperform those that focus solely on growth. It’s all about getting better before getting bigger.
The Vulnerability of Growing Companies
Let’s face it — rapid growth can make any company vulnerable. Here are some key areas to watch out for:
- Emphasizing Growth Over Development Growth is exciting, but if it comes at the expense of development, learning, and improvement, you’re in trouble. The real need is to get better at getting better. When you focus on enhancing skills and processes coupled with a product or service that customers want and are prepared to pay for, growth will naturally follow.
2. Tolerating and Embracing Bad News Creating a culture where bad news is okay is crucial. It’s about building an environment where it’s safe to tell the truth. When people feel seen and heard, they’re more likely to speak up about potential issues, allowing us to address problems before they escalate. While decorum is appropriate, speaking candidly should not be accused of violating manners. Sensitivity meters have their place, but not when it comes to exposing problems. I like to continually remind that problems are like weeds, they grow in water. Your job as a manager is to remove as much water as possible-the sooner the better.
Crafting such a culture isn’t mystical — it’s a leadership skill. It involves sending clear signals that everyone is safe, we share risks, and we have a common purpose. This builds the foundation for a strong, cohesive team.
Creative Abrasion: The Power of Debate
Let’s talk about creative abrasion — the intellectual friction that hones ideas through vigorous debate. It’s about welcoming diverse perspectives and engaging in healthy conflict to refine ideas.
Keep Creative Abrasion on Track with These Ground Rules:
- Titles don’t matter. In an innovation session, everyone’s on the same level.
- Debate ideas, never people. Focus on improving the idea, not attacking the person.
- Actively listen. Don’t just wait for your turn to speak; truly understand the other person’s idea.
- Provide language markers. Use phrases like “Let me play devil’s advocate” or “I agree but want to push the thinking deeper” to move discussions along respectfully.
All In: Decide to Commit
One of the biggest pitfalls for companies is the refusal to commit. They talk the talk but back away when it’s time to walk the walk. Remember Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell in Apollo 13? He said, “From now on, we live in a world where man has walked on the moon. It’s not a miracle; we just decided to go.”
A key measure of a company? Decide to go! Face tough questions head-on: Do we really mean this? How far are we willing to go to achieve our goals? What’s our tolerance for chaos and change? Are we afraid to make bold statements for fear of being inappropriate?
Conclusion
In the world of physical therapy — and indeed in any fast-growing company — the real magic happens when we embrace vulnerability, foster psychological safety, and commit to continuous improvement. It’s not about avoiding risk but about creating an environment where taking risks leads to learning and growth.
So, let’s all get better at getting better. Build a culture where it’s safe to speak up, where diverse ideas are debated with respect, and where you commit to goals with all your might. Here’s to thriving, not just surviving, in the fast lane of growth-and in particular constantly improving.
@physicaltherapy
