Moving at the Speed of Startups

One of the inherent difficulties in succession planning within quick startup environments, is the mismatch between the rapid role expansion out pacing the gradual development of leadership capabilities. Companies can grow faster then humans do.

Initially, startups tend to evolve through informal promotion and role-shifting, which can hide underlying leadership weaknesses until these gaps cause visible disruption.

This dynamic puts founders and C-suite in a pickle. On one side, there is urgency to fill leadership roles with strong, experienced managers to maintain momentum, and on the other side, there is the challenge of preparing individuals for long-term success. 

So what do we do?

Working with many companies, I have learnt that leadership readiness in startups is actually about observing how people adapt under pressure, how they navigate strategic alignment amidst constant change, and where they fall short during critical transitions. It’s usually less  about a formal plan, at least not initially.

The mechanistic view of succession as a queue or a checklist misses the complexity of human adaptation in scaling contexts. 

It calls for more weight placed on behaviors emerging in real-time, particularly during periods of strategic realignment and change. 

Recognizing these patterns allows organizations to support and build their leaders early rather than reacting to failure.

Creating succession readiness means watching how your people work and giving constant feedback, even when work is busy and it would be easier to just hurry and skip it.

The question is how to balance speed with intentional development, in a way that integrates leadership growth organically into the company’s evolving rhythm.