Is Your Growth Making You Healthier—Or Just Busier?
Most organizations say they want to grow. But the real question is: grow into what?
As I’ve mentioned a number of times, at Aspire, we believe organizations are living systems. And like any living system, growth can signal health—or reveal disease.
Growth Disease: Rigidity and Distortion
I’ve seen two patterns show up again and again in organizations that look like they’re growing—but are actually off course:
Disease 1: Organizational Rigidity
Growth is blocked, constrained, or performative.
Leaders avoid real change to protect structure or culture.
New ideas die in the middle.
Teams call for alignment—but really want predictability.
This is undergrowth dressed up as discipline.
Disease 2: Organizational Distortion
Growth is inflated, misaligned, or ungrounded.
The organization scales before it’s ready.
The brand outpaces the backbone.
Culture can’t metabolize the ambition.
This is overgrowth disguised as innovation.
So, What Is Good Growth?
Good growth is not about scale. It’s about integrity. Fit. Maturity.
You know you're growing well when:
Strategy is anchored in purpose, not performance theater.
Execution is paced to your capacity, not your competition.
Feedback is listened to and acted on, not filtered.
Culture, leadership, and systems evolve together.
Growth is healthy when it feels clear, not chaotic—and when your people can tell the difference.
Quick Gut Check:
Ask yourself (or your team):
✅ You’re growing well if:
Your people know what to prioritize—and why.
Strategy is used in meetings, not just marketing.
Growth feels focused, not frantic.
🚨 Watch for warning signs:
Change gets stuck in middle layers.
Everyone’s busy but the outcomes are fuzzy.
Identity sounds great but isn’t felt on the ground.
New initiatives launch faster than they land.
Those aren’t flaws. They’re signals. Signals that your organization is ready for a different kind of growth.
If this resonates, let’s talk. Not about a pitch—about a lens. We help leadership teams see clearly and grow with integrity. Because good growth isn’t accidental. It’s on purpose.
