Businesses identify growth as an imperative because otherwise, they stagnate or contract. But how should growth be defined? Most companies simply rely on the numbers: increases in headcount, customers, revenue, and profit.
At Expedition Technology (EXP), we look at growth through a different lens. Rather than setting quantified targets, we focus on the process and the implications and benefits of growth that extend beyond the top and bottom lines. For example, growth lets us add new team members with different experiences and perspectives, giving us the diversity necessary to solve the complicated challenges our customers face. Yes, we want to grow, but not arbitrarily or merely for the sake of growth.
Some businesses may expand and succeed thanks to good fortune, not good governance. We believe that sustainable growth requires setting the standard that year after year, we must improve on what we have previously accomplished. That means avoiding self-satisfaction and complacency and simply nibbling around the edges. Instead, we must relentlessly pursue the objective to continuously reinvent ourselves by not tying ourselves to the concept of best practice, be it industry’s or our own.
This mindset encourages a culture of experimentation and learning. It allows us to leverage and build upon the expertise we acquire and the lessons we learn to create and shape more complex ideas that provide differentiation – opening the door to new career development paths for EXP employees and new business opportunities for our company. And it’s consistent with our Agile approach where we break problems down, investigate and test alternatives, adapt, and improve while remaining focused on the ultimate goal and not obsessing over the intermediate results.
We steadfastly believe that by running EXP with this growth mindset, we will attract the most talented people, do the most interesting work, and be leaders, not followers. As for the numbers, we know they will come if we stick to our principles. Here’s the proof – we’ve just completed our ninth consecutive year of double-digit growth, and we’re hiring. If this sounds like an environment where you want to work, we hope you will join our expedition!
