One of the most Disorienting parts of Growing a Company
You get promoted by default, and not always by readiness.
Whether you're a founder, owner, or employee, you’re constantly stepping into new territory -> new challenges, new dynamics, new expectations.
Which means you’re regularly doing things you’re not yet good at (and maybe don’t even want to get good at). That can feel deeply unsettling.
When growth feels like doubt
That’s when the ego can kick in:
What’s my value if I’m not doing this anymore?
Do I have what it takes to lead in this new role (or new way)?
They don’t know the brand or business like I do.
I need to stay close to the details in case it all goes sideways.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone (and, this is where we do some of our best work with founders and leadership teams).
The Conscious Competence Framework
We’ve been revisiting the Conscious Competence Framework (CCF) - not just as a static or linear skill-building model, but as a map for the discomfort of growth through the lens of leadership and power.
If you're new to the CCF, here's our take:
What we’ve seen (and felt ourselves) is that many leaders get stuck in Stages 1 and 2 - the hard vulnerable middle where you’re not getting the feedback you need, and/or letting go of what got you 'here'.
And in that space, doubt creeps in, the plan gets fuzzy, and things start to unravel.
At The Ally Co., we’re all about failing forward, and a big part of this work is helping teams to create the conditions to "bend vs. break" through shared language, aligned expectations, and a commitment to staying in it together.
Giving away your Legos
A few years ago, I read a post that used the metaphor of “giving away your Legos”, and it’s stuck with me ever since (turns out it’s stuck with a lot of people: Give Away Your Legos and Other Commandments for Scaling Startups). The core idea is that at a certain point in scaling your company, this often means:
- Letting go of being the one who knows
- Creating geniune space for others to step in and build
- Demonstraiting trust for people to grow something you once held
- Staying conscious of how you use your power, even as you give things away
As someone who still loves playing with Lego, I find the visualization helpful for staying self-aware. But what I’m realizing (and re-learning as I write this) is that I need to get better at giving away certain pieces.
Unlocking Leaderful-ness
In our facilitation and coaching work, we encourage leaders to:
- Make space for being bad at new things
- Normalize the learning curve, even (especially) at the top
- Reframe growth as letting go, not just levelling up
Start with Foundational Alignment
When a company's foundations for growth are shaky, our work begins with what makes growth possible:
- A clear and compelling vision that anchors the team’s collective direction
- Shared definitions of what success looks like (beyond output or optics)
- Well-defined roles and responsibilities that evolve as the team does
- Core ways of working that prioritize relational trust, responsiveness, and accountability
- Meaningful feedback loops (both formal and informal) to align intent and impact
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers, knowledge, or competencies. It’s about consciously using our power to unlock growth through connection, trust, and new capacity.
Final Words
If you're finding yourself in the middle of an uncomfortable transition - struggling to delegate, feeling whelmed (over or under), and/or not knowing where to go next - it's part of the journey! You’re building something bigger than yourself!
And that requires a different kind of leadership:
- One rooted in trust, not control
- In what's at-stake, not what's at-risk
- In feedback, not un-checked assumptions
Let's normalize the stretch and discomfort of leadership growth. Let’s build cultures where people don’t have to pretend they’ve got it all figured out - where people use their power consciously to affect positive change!
Want to talk more about this?
We’re working with founders, owners, and leadership teams who are navigating these very transitions -stepping into what's next, giving away their Legos, and building leaderful teams. We'd love to do that with you or your team if there's interest.
Pathway #1: Follow us online on LinkedIn or YouTube
Pathway #2: Check out The Co. to see if it's for you
Pathway #3: Contact us or reach out to Pablo directly.
We’d love to learn about your journey (and to contribute if we can).
