A Head of Growth is a cross-functionally excellent executive who has a foot in each department and designs the entire journey from value creation to retaining customers.

Growth Hacking

Growth hacking refers to strategies regarding the reach of a company. It may involve new marketing initiatives, inventing disruptive products, designing and implementing venturepeneurial or competitive disruption strategies, alpha/beta testing, or experimental trials to discover what works and what doesn’t. In this role, a head of growth is focused on scaling s/his company as quickly and sustainably as possible.

Managing Growth

Growth management is a twofold term. On one hand, a head of growth may be responsible for managing other strategic planners, value innovators, intrapreneurs, marketers, or freelancers. On the other hand, s/he will be heavily involved in KPI measurement and other ROI metrics. A Head of Growth keeps a finger on the pulse of growth initiatives and redesigns corporate growth strategies accordingly.

Nurturing Growth

Nurture is the act of nourishing; tender care; education; training. Nurturing growth refers to the use of new or existing strategies that build capabilities for growth, enhance motivation, retain customers, engage customers as co-innovators, etc.

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T-shaped Head of Growth: Generalist & Specialist

Usually, a Head of Growth is a ‘T’ shaped business executive who is knowledgeable in many fields, but deeply skilled in accelerated business growth.

A T-shaped Head of Growth is able to create a holistic growth strategy by linking the core areas of cross-functional management with expertise in growth management.

A generalist can do a little bit of everything, can create a holistic strategy and is capable of a leading a cross-functional rapid-growth team. A rapid-growth specialist knows how to create disruptions and move with speed. A specialist keeps up with new growth strategies and test-worthy trends that keep emerging.

Synergizing the Roles of a Generalist and a Specialist

There are endless ways to connect strategies, capabilities and skills synergistically. Here are some of them:

•“Garden” and “Kitchen” stages of a brainstorming session – generate focused ideas first and then synergize them (“cook a soup”).
• Synergize diversities – create synergistic cross-functional teams.
•“The Tree of Business” – taking a holistic view of a business venture and designing it “from roots to fruits” by synergizing resources and capabilities.
•Innovation portfolio – synergize strategically aligned radical and incremental innovation projects.
•Synergize activities of value innovation, marketing and selling experts..