Our Shift from Forcing to Fostering Growth
In my work with leaders and organisations across the globe, I have seen how longterm growth is not something you force, rather it is something that emerges from the right conditions. I call this quality of growth ‘Generative Growth’. It unfolds when we focus on creating the right conditions, allowing ideas, innovation, and collaboration to flourish naturally.
One story that illustrates this comes from an architect who designed a university campus. After completing a number of buildings, instead of paving concrete paths immediately, she planted grass and waited. Over time, students and faculty naturally carved their own routes through the grass, and only then did she pave the most worn paths (keeping the natural human curves in the paths). Rather than imposing predetermined routes, the architect allowed the environment to reveal the best way forward.
This shift from forcing to fostering is the essence of Generative Growth. Rather than dictating processes and predetermined results, we focus on creating the right environment where natural patterns of growth emerge.
It is important to acknowledge that there is also value in directly leading growth. Just as the architect designed the buildings before allowing the paths to emerge, there are times when leadership must guide and structure growth. However, all too often this is the only form of growth that is encouraged, instead for long-term success, this must be complemented by creating the conditions where growth can continue to emerge naturally. This balance is what leads to Generative Growth.
I recently opened a Keynote Speech in Istanbul with the statement: “Business is complex, not complicated. Complicated means it is difficult to understand. Complex means it has many connecting parts.” Growth works the same way—it is about aligning the many interconnected parts of your work, your team, and your organisation so that progress can unfold naturally.
I’ve long admired the rich history of Turkey, which has been a crossroads of cultures, ideas, and commerce for centuries. The good news is that I believe it is these same qualities that are needed in our global crossroads now being defined by exponential technology and AI—where a unique blend of multiple intelligences is needed to be brought to address a complex business landscape.
The lesson for leaders is clear: growth happens when we focus on the conditions that allow it to thrive. When we foster environments where diverse ideas and people can connect, where collaboration is encouraged, and where innovation is nurtured, we unlock the potential for Generative Growth.
I often say, “Collaboration is the new competition” because the organisations that thrive in today’s world are those that foster collaborative environments, creating spaces where diverse ideas intersect and new possibilities emerge. So one of the first steps towards creating the right conditions is shifting from a mindset of competition to one of collaboration. In doing so, we create an environment where Generative Growth becomes not just possible, but inevitable.
So, I encourage you to think about the environment you are cultivating. How much of your work forces growth, and how much fosters the conditions where it can naturally emerge? Growth is natural, like paving the way once the path reveals itself—just as the architect did. And when we get this right, the growth that follows is more organic, regenerative, and generative.
Let us focus on fostering the right conditions, and let growth naturally follow.
Reference: Paul Hughes
