Great companies don’t hide from hard truths. They build systems, rhythms and cultures that drag reality into the light early and often. This article breaks down how leaders can confront the brutal facts with clarity, discipline and confidence, and use them to build a stronger, more resilient organisation.

I recently sat down with Blake McLean, UTS Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation Associate Professor and Head of Performance R&D with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 2025 NBA champions. We discussed his research, which focuses on both player and non-player performance, and how it applies to organisational performance. Blake is also a keynote speaker at the CEO Summit 2026.

Scaling is harder than starting. That may sound strange if you’ve already battled through the chaos of building your first product, finding customers, raising funding. But the crunch comes later. Research shows 97% of new firms never make it past $5M in revenue. Only 3% keep scaling . Why? Because growth always hits a constraint.

Monthly team meetings, when done well, are vital for aligning leadership, fostering collaboration, and driving progress toward goals.

Get your organisation "match fit" using Scaling Up Tools One of the best things about the Scaling Up are the Tools. Practical exercises...

This is the third article in a series on Getting the right people in the right seats during Scaling. See my previous articles on How to...

Continuously improve your enthusiastic re-hire rate Are all highly skilled and capable Talent valuable? Some have deep skills and incredible expertise. They get the job done. Maybe they break a few rules and make a few enemies along the way. But the results are there. They speak for themselves. But they can lead to team dysfunction, persistent problems and long-term drop in capabilities of your business. In my previous article “ How to get the right people in the right seats

As the founder/CEO or leader of a scaling organisation, one of the best things you can do for your business (and your life!), is to...

When is the right time to hire more staff ? Recent layoffs particularly in the tech sector have largely been a result of over hiring and...

It is highly likely the initial team you assemble will not be the exact same people or roles as your start-up team. How do you assemble...