Growth is our quest to claim ownership over life’s most precious possessions – be it wealth, knowledge or esteem. The hiccup?
Most of these trophies are finite resources with limited supply. And there are just too many of us on the planet. Something that turns this quest into a rat race.
Sure, a new breed of organizations – armed with their out of the box thinking – are trying to ‘hack’ this race. But let’s face it. Real Growth – the one that’s for keeps – isn’t easy to clock. It doesn’t magically fall on your lap, or is handed over ceremoniously on a silver platter. Neither does hacking cut it, alone. You’ve got to snatch it.
Something you can do only if you a burning, unquenchable desire for it. Honestly, if you don’t want it bad – real bad – abort mission immediately (and come back when that hunger pang returns). Indeed, your desire for Growth must be so overpowering, you don’t mind resorting to robbing.
Yes, it’s time to think beyond growth hacking. And wake up to the infinite possibilities of Growth robbing. You heard it right.
So what exactly are we trying to rob here? Well, the treasure that’s dearest to people’s hearts: Their hearts. And with it, their trust. You see, people inevitably feel first, think later. So be it your customers, teams, partners, followers or ambassadors – once you’re in their heart, you’re in their head. The heart’s the cake you’re after, the rest is cakewalk.
Is it tough? You bet.
All robberies are risky. But none even begins to compare with the risk involved when you’re attempting to rob someone’s ultimate possession – trust. Because in this case, your own trust deposit – the one you staked while nurturing the relationship – is up on the chopping block, too. You also know exactly how this is going to end: Rob, or be robbed blind yourself (As a bonus, you’ll probably pick up an enemy for life).
Which makes Growth robbery a bit of a paradox. A gambit where you are most powerful when you are at your most vulnerable (‘All In’, emotionally). Not for nothing is Growth robbing regarded amongst the most evolved of all arts known to man. The supreme artifice, if you will, calling for superlative levels of instinct, patience, guts. One false move, one wrong manoeuvre, and your target will look right through you. No second chances, no comebacks.
You know what that means, don’t you? Before you make your big move, you must be emotionally trained, pathologically fearless, and impeccably prepared.
We’ve touched upon the first one briefly, and the second one is something you are expected to bring to the party with you, so let’s train our sights on the third: The preparation.
You can only prepare to win with a winning team. Growth never happens in islands of isolation – it is the result of a well-oiled machine that runs on collaboration, cohesion and teamwork. You will therefore need like minds and kindred souls who are as passionate about robbing Growth as you are. ‘Partners in crime’, so to speak, who are ready to wager everything they have. And put their lives on the gambling table. To hunt for the ultimate game.
So if you aspire to be a serial Growth robber – and be consistently successful at it – it will pay to invest the time and effort in carefully creating a Robbery Team ‘in your own image’ (that is, one aligned with your vision).
You have to make an emotional deposit in this team as well, in order to reap the critical dividend of trust. Work closely together at all times – even when you are practising ‘411 Drills’ and doing ‘Dry Runs’ – to build vital synapses of rapport and understanding. Embed the robbery code deep into the DNA. Remember you are building a lean pack that needs to think in sync and move on their feet to convert every opportunity that comes your way. And optimize those that don’t.
The other part of preparation is about engineering a Growth atmosphere all around you. One you control at will – no matter what the weather. This atmosphere will sustain you at every stage of your heist. Supply the oxygen of information. Deliver the moisture of network. Provide the soil for planning. An atmosphere congenial for Growth robbery is built little by little over the years, and refined one burglary at a time. When the atmosphere is just right, Growth robbery can be as natural as breathing. If even as much as a cloud is missing, though, it can leave you gasping for air.
When you are passionate to rob Growth – and prepared enough to get away with it without a bruise – you know you’re ready to experience the next level of Growth. The one that starts where Hacking ends.
