If you haven't already done so, then establishing a growth team is the best thing you'll do for your company this year. It's the glue that ties your marketing, operations, product, engineering, and customer success to your revenue.
But here's the thing: setting up a growth team isn't easy and your team can easily fall into the pit of mistakes. So let's look at these 12 mistakes every new growth team should avoid.
1. Falling Into the Idea Trap
Ideas are exciting and I've noticed that a ton of emphasis is placed on ideas when discussing growth. Everyone wants that one big idea that puts everything into place and makes it into the growth hall of fame (RE: Coinbase's Superbowl QR code ad).
But the problem is that with a lean growth team of less than 10 people, and only 12 weeks in each quarter, placing too much importance on developing many interesting ideas isn't the smartest thing. You'll find that your team is simply filling your backlog with tons of nice-sounding ideas that you never eventually examine because there's simply no time.
What You Should Do Instead
Streamline the idea-generation process. Start with data related to the metrics you want to improve eg increase revenue by x%. What parts of your user's transaction journey need improvement? Let data be the guiding light; ground your decisions in facts and figures, not just the allure of the idea. This approach ensures that you’re not just chasing after every bright light but investing your energy in ideas that are both actionable and promising.
Prioritize ideas that closely align with your business goals and have the potential for the highest impact. Encourage the team to focus on executing well on a few ideas, rather than juggling many at once.
2. Not Establishing Structure Quickly
When you’re enthusiastic about setting up your growth team, it’s easy to dive right into the deep end. Brainstorming sessions, idea generation, and action plans become the order of the day. But hold your Horses! Without a solid structure, your team can easily become a group of headless chickens running in different directions.
What You Should Do Instead
Build a foundation first. Clearly define roles, set up processes, and establish communication channels. Make sure everyone knows their responsibilities and how they fit into the bigger picture. Remember, a well-structured team is like a well-oiled machine.
3. Moving Too Fast
Recently, I found that Ramp, a New York-based Fintech company runs 75+ growth experiments every 2 weeks. It's easy to look at a company like that and compare your 3-month-old growth team to them. But I guarantee you that jumping the gun without investing in your team (patience, structure, human resources, and skill acquisition)will get you poor results. It will also leave your team feeling overwhelmed and too exhausted to think and execute creatively.
What You Should Do Instead
Ease into the process; don't force it. Start by setting realistic goals aligned with your team's current capacity. It’s essential to foster a culture where quality trumps quantity, and strategic thinking is not sacrificed for speed. Here are steps to ensure you’re moving at the right pace:
Set Realistic Goals: establish achievable targets tailored to your team’s capacity.
Focus on Quality: prioritize well-planned experiments over quantity.
Provide Necessary Resources: equip the team with tools, training, and time.
Build a Supportive Culture: foster an environment of encouragement and value.
Evaluate and Adjust: regularly review and refine your growth strategies.
4. Moving Too Slow
While you shouldn't jump straight into launching 50 experiments a week, you also shouldn't move too slowly. There'll be excuses and many times when it feels easier to slow down and work towards just 1 experiment a week or every 2 weeks. But if you're going to build a team that handles rapid experimentation, then you need to do the hard thing and increase your output.
What You Should Do Instead
It's like training a muscle. Progressive overload is the key. Instead of maintaining a pace of 1 experiment per week, find out what makes execution work for your team and optimize it. When it becomes easy to launch one experiment weekly, try launching two. Re-assess and launch more if your capacity improves. Add team members, skills, and budget increments as you grow and start to see success with your experiments.
5. Tracking the Wrong Metrics
Metrics are like the north star for a growth team, guiding your path and indicating if you’re headed in the right direction. But pick the wrong star, and you’re lost in the vast universe of data. Vanity metrics can make you feel like a superstar, but they don’t contribute to real growth.
What You Should Do Instead
Focus on actionable metrics that tie directly to your business goals. Cut through the fluff and keep your eyes on the numbers that matter. Every metric should be a stepping stone to informed decisions and strategic actions. If a metric isn’t helping you make better decisions, toss it.
6. Skipping the Data
In the world of growth, data is king. But sometimes, the excitement of new ideas can make you sideline this crucial aspect. You end up shooting in the dark, and let’s be honest, that’s just a waste of ammo.
What You Should Do Instead
Treat data like your trusted ally. Before you leap into action, take a moment to analyze the data, understand the trends, and identify the opportunities. Every decision should be data-informed, ensuring that your actions are precise, targeted, and effective.
7. Getting Swept up in Assumptions
"It worked for them, so it should work for us,” sounds familiar, right? But here’s the bitter pill to swallow - what works for one, doesn’t always work for all. Assuming can lead your growth team into a wild goose chase.
What You Should Do Instead
Test and validate every assumption. Don’t take anything at face value. Be curious, be skeptical, and be ready to roll up your sleeves and dig into the details. Every strategy should be customized to your unique business context, audience, and goals.
8. Letting Bias Seep in
We’re all human, and we’ve got our biases. But when bias creeps into your growth team, it can skew perspectives, decisions, and results. Suddenly, you’re not sailing with the wind; you’re fighting against the tide.
What You Should Do Instead
Cultivate a culture of objectivity. Who's the least positive person on your team? That person who just isn't ever quite as excited about the big ideas. Many people would view that as 'not a culture fit' or 'toxic' but I challenge you to use that to your advantage. Give them free rein to scrutinize every idea and you just might find that you're the crab slowly getting boiled in a pot of bias.
Encourage diversity of thought, welcome different perspectives, and be ready to question your own beliefs. Every decision should pass through the rigorous filter of objectivity, ensuring that it’s not personal, it’s purely growth.
9. Overestimating Your Team's Abilities
The enthusiasm after getting that first batch of great results can sometimes make you feel invincible. However, overestimating your team’s abilities can set you up for burnout and disappointment. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a successful growth team.
What You Should Do Instead
Be realistic. Set achievable goals, acknowledge your limitations, listen to your team, and don’t be afraid to seek help when needed. Every win, no matter how small, is a step forward. Celebrate the progress, learn from the setbacks, and remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
10. Being Too Rigid with Routine
Routines can make your team efficient, but too much rigidity can stifle creativity and innovation. If you’re always sticking to the script, you might miss the plot twists that could lead to groundbreaking growth.
What You Should Do Instead
Encourage flexibility and adaptability. Create an environment where experimentation is welcomed, and innovation is the norm. Be ready to pivot, adapt, and evolve. In the dynamic world of growth, the most adaptable are the ones who thrive.
11. Giving Unequal Responsibility Across the Team
When the workload isn’t evenly spread, it can lead to burnout for some and underutilization for others. It’s like having a soccer team where only a few are running, and the rest are watching from the sidelines.
What You Should Do Instead
Ensure that responsibilities are distributed evenly. Each team member should have a clear role, with tasks and expectations mapped out. Remember, a team that works together, grows together. Every member is a cog in the wheel of growth.
At the same time, responsibility should be tailored according to your team members strengths and weaknesses.
12. Forgetting to Upskill Your Team
In the fast-paced world of growth, yesterday’s skills can become obsolete tomorrow. If your team isn’t evolving, it’s stagnating. And in the growth game, stagnation is the first step to irrelevance.
What You Should Do Instead
Invest in continuous learning. Encourage your team to upgrade their skills, explore new trends, and stay ahead of the curve. Remember, a team that learns together, grows together. Every new skill acquired is a weapon added to your growth arsenal.
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