Many CEOs and founders enter a stage of growth where their business is too big to be small, and too small to be big. They’re running as fast as they can and yet the old way of running their business doesn’t seem to work anymore. Do any of these sound familiar? If so you’re probably stuck in No Man’s Land:
• you feel the business is stuck and too involved in everything.
• you’re not growing fast enough, you’re working harder, but you’re making less money.
• your team is not on the same page and you don’t have the right people in the right roles.
• you don’t have enough time or money to do what you want to do.
As the leader of an emerging growth company, you need a special type of individual, a P.A.C.E.R., to help you execute effectively, scale your model and eventually exit the business. The purpose of this article is to help you identify a great P.A.C.E.R. who will help you get “unstuck” in the inevitable, unavoidable chasm called No Man’s Land.
No Man’s Land
Companies enter No Man’s Land as they grow past startup and enter “adolescence”. The disturbing fact is that over 90% fail to survive No Man’s Land and achieve scale. It’s a period of strategic confusion and inadequate resources, as Doug Tatum describes:
No matter how good their core business concepts, the companies I’ve seen have been pushed by growth into an uncomfortable situation where the resources and approaches that had allowed the firm to grow in the first place suddenly be- came insufficient and even an obstacle to further growth. Customers went away dissatisfied, and the entrepreneur in question felt disoriented, as if he or she were gradually and inexplicably losing control.
Doug Tatum’s book, No Man’s Land, was recognized in the 2011 book, The 100 Best Books of All Time by Jack Covert and Tom Sattersten
How to Choose a Great P.A.C.E.R.
CEOs and Founders need help to survive No Man’s Land and scale their business. The need a specific someone. They need a P.A.C.E.R.
In his book Born to Run, author Christopher McDougall describes how Ultramarathoners sometimes have pacers that join them for the last 50 miles of their uber-human race. According to Leadville rules, a “pacer” can run alongside a racer for the last fifty miles, which meant Ann would now have a personal pit crew by her side all the way to the finish.
Here’s what McDougall says about pacers:
A tough pacer, consequently, can save your race; a sharp one can save your life… It wouldn’t be easy; pacing is so grueling and thankless, usually only family, fools, and damn good friends let themselves get talked into it. The job means shivering in the middle of nowhere for hours until your runner shows up, then setting off at sunset for an all-night run through wind-whistling mountains. You’ll get blood on your shins, vomit on your shoes, and not even a T-shirt for completing two marathons in a single night. Other job requirements can include staying awake while your runner catches a nap in the mud; popping a blood blister between her butt cheeks with your fingernails; and surrendering your jacket, even though your teeth are chattering, because her lips have gone blue.
(Mcdougall, Christopher (2009-05-04). Born to Run. Random House, Inc.)
You’ve got a lonely job. The weight of the entire business sits on your shoulders. You’re probably a member of Vistage Group and you’ve recruited a solid Advisory Board. But where’s your pacer? Where’s the “the one” who’s over this dusty trail before? Where’s the friend, mentor or advisor who will attach his or herself to your side, listen to your struggles, and guide you through the tough decisions to survive where most have failed. Whoever it is, the odds of breaking through No Man’s Land are greatly increased by recruiting a PACER.
5 Traits of a Great P.A.C.E.R.
1. PerceptiveA great PACER has uncommon, common sense. Your PACER should exhibit the ability to ask the right questions at the right time, clarify the reality of your complex problems, and suggest simple solutions. As Da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
2. AggressiveAccountability can be as valuable as wisdom. You need a PACER who can get and keep you radically objective about your business. A PACER keeps you focused on the 3-5 top KPIs so that you can make the right decisions, get your team in sync, and execute effectively. Your PACER should also help you identify what you do best; I call it your “Fastball”. A great PACER will help free you up to throw your heater more often.
3. Committed
Mcdougall’s description of the Ultramarathoner’s pacer wreaks of loyalty. You can’t trust a passive bystander to run with you in tandem through No Man’s Land. You want someone who is “all in” on you, your value proposition, and the goal of scaling your business. Your PACER wants you to succeed so that you have the choice to stay with the business, or exit profitably.
4. Experienced
Your PACER should have proven success working with CEOs of companies twice your size. Your race and terrain should be familiar territory. When it comes to scaling a business, experience matters. Choose someone who’s been there.
5. Responsive
Although scheduled meetings are important, you’ll also need to access your PACER on short notice. A fifteen minute phone call at the right time can make the difference between the best and second best response to a critical issue. Establish boundaries on your PACER’s accessibility, but request the freedom to send up the “Bat Signal” if necessary.
Your PACER should also reach out to you periodically to make sure you’re not avoiding an important decision or a change that needs to be made. What are some practical things the right P.A.C.E.R. can do to help you get you and your company through No Man’s Land?
What a P.A.C.E.R. Can Do to Help Your Business
Get radically objective about the business.
“Embrace the brutal facts,” as author, Jim Collins states. Great companies ask tough questions from the No Mans Land categories to get an accurate picture on the extent of team mis- alignment and the degree of urgency on each issue. Tough questions usually reveal tough decisions that must be made; decisions that stir the pudding but can also throttle the company through No Man’s Land.
Set a clear direction by focusing on a handful of priorities.
More than 5 priorities result in no priorities. Strategy can be simple. Teams can focus and when they are responsible for a handful of priorities with actionable points and deadlines.
Align your team through routine communication.
We have observed that over 98% of teams are out of sync on the No Man’s Land issues. On the other hand, companies experience at least a 20% increase in performance when teams are aligned and focused on the right priorities. Aligned teams can stay in sync with a routine review of priorities and key performance indicators.
Keep score to hold your inner circle accountable.
As stated previously, team accountability is rare; but it is attainable. A simple dashboard that includes priorities, as- signed action points with deadlines, and metrics will provide the catalyst for team interaction. Offering the team an opportunity to vote on the priorities and action points can also fuel accountability.
Adapt and learn quickly.
Our nation’s Special Forces utilize the same strategic decision process on every battlefield around the world. The foundation of their strategy is based on the team’s ability to make a decision and then quickly learn from their unfolding circumstances, outside information, and the evolving interaction with their environment. By using this process the team adapts and learns in order to choose their next move. In other words, they remain “agile” at all times. The Wall Street Journal described the need or a company to remain flexible:
"Walt Shill, head of the North American management consulting practice for Accenture Ltd., is even more blunt: “Strategy, as we knew it, is dead,” he contends. “Corporate clients decided that increased flexibility and accelerated decision making are much more important than simply predicting the future.”
(Strategic Plans Lose Favor, Wall Street Journal, 1.25.10)
Tall order to find the right mule? You bet. Necessary? Ask the Ultramarathon runner. The last 50 miles of an Ultramarathon are surreal. Hallucinations and injuries abound. The runner is disoriented and exhausted. Sound familiar? The mule lights the path, pushes the runner past fatigue, and saves the race.
“Pacer” is not on my resume, but it’s the role I enjoy most. When I meet my runners (CEOs), they’re stuck in the operations of their business and exhausted. They’re running as hard as they can but they fear getting stuck. They need a P.A.C.E.R., and I’m ready for the all-night run.
Interested in learning more on how to survive No Man's Land? Request our complimentary ebook complete with insight from Newport's own best selling author, Doug Tatum.
