Scaling Up without Screwing Up

What got you here won’t get you there-keep EVOLVING. Hayagreeva “Huggy” Rao, the co-author of Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less, closed out the National Meeting by connecting the dots between the sessions and charging attendees to take their work to the next level. Rao explained the importance of spreading and sustaining a mindset, not just a footprint, as an organization expands. Rao elaborated on key principles and lessons to consider when scaling up including connecting people, cascading excellence, and practicing thoughtful accountability and ownership. He stressed the importance of the role of the individual and the power of one. Echoing the theme of the influence of storytelling, Rao said the best way to convey data is through stories. “Stories help people quickly shrink wrap what they know,” he said. Rao, like opening plenary speaker, Thomas Frey, challenged attendees to look at their organizations in a new perspective. “Scaling isn’t about addition, it’s about subtraction. You have to take out the bad. Bad is much more powerful than good,” he said. Rao left attendees energized and motivated about scaling up and sustaining their organizations. “Scaling up is easy, but screwing up is easier,” Rao said, but with his advice, participants are better equipped to prepare for the future ahead.