The last growth type in the TAPE Framework and Assessment is the Empowerer. This type of growth is steady, sustainable, and often creates a legacy business. I often like to use the Aesop fable of The Tortoise and The Hare where slow and steady wins the race. In many ways, this type of growth has received a bad rap, displaced by the meteoric growth of disruptive technologies and businesses. For hundreds of years, steady growth has fueled and sustained business, success at a different pace. The TAPE Framework and Assessment looks at how creativity combines action and connection to drive growth. Standing the test of time with year after year growth, the Empowerer growth type is powerful and creative. Think of it as a growth type with an added relay race where the passing of the baton is an integral part of the plan.
In the TAPE Framework the Empowerer (letter E) growth type focuses on growing “right” rather than “fast.” On the creative scale, that is when the excelling actions meet connections that endure. What do we mean by “excelling?” Excelling actions are skill sets that are competitive, intrinsically driven to achieve a “personal best” and are driven by analytics, measurement, and evaluation. An Excelling leader or business uses the following skill sets or actions:
• Studies the competition
• Breaks down goals to doable actions
• Studies progress/failure
• Stretch goals are part of the culture
On the other end of the creative scale is connection. For the Empowerer, connections are Enduring, or purpose driven. The Empowerer connects to their reason “why” and has a perspective that is farther focused than past, present and future. The Enduring connection is defined by creating a legacy or a well-planned succession. The skill sets or connections that makes a leader or business Enduring include:
• Alignment to the “why”
• Past/Present/Future/Legacy
• Stamina connections for longevity
• Connections that extend/sustain
Empowerers defy the label of being “boring” by staying focused on their purpose and remaining focused on their core achievements. As leaders and businesses, they are focused on making the right decisions for both the business and succession, aren’t apologetic about playing the long game, and aren’t afraid to say “no” to risky propositions. Establishing repeatable success, predictable growth, and a future asset is important to Empowerer leaders and businesses. The Empowerer category of growth is popular with family-owned businesses and businesses that stand the test of time. Innovation is ever-present in this type of growth, most notable in the diligent planning for the baton hand-off in all aspects of the business.
I invite you to take the TAPE Framework survey by visiting https://breakthetapeleadership.com/survey. You can take it for yourself and you can take it for your organization to see how creativity can be used as a strategy and growth can happen when action and connection meet.
Break the Tape Leadership helps leaders unleash creativity and potential in themselves and the organizations they lead to generate meaningful momentum.
©2022 Break the Tape LLC
Comments