Doesn’t look like growth
Compared to What?
We think we know what growth looks like. More revenue, bigger teams, faster results. We chase it, measure it, obsess over it. But what if growth doesn’t look the way we expect?
Some trees shoot up quickly, but their wood is weak, good only for disposable products. Other trees grow slowly, their trunks dense and strong, lasting centuries. Both grow—but they serve different purposes.
Businesses are the same way. Some explode onto the market, blitzscaling their way to dominance. Others take decades to build something enduring. The question isn’t how fast can you grow? It’s what are you growing toward?
And maybe the real question is: compared to what?
The Problem With Chasing Speed
In the startup world, there’s a strategy called blitzscaling—the idea that speed is the ultimate competitive advantage. If you can grow fast enough, you can outpace competitors, raise more funding, and dominate your industry before anyone catches up.
Sometimes, it works. Amazon, Facebook, and Uber all used this playbook to become giants. But it also can leave wreckage—companies that scale too fast and collapse under their own weight. WeWork, Theranos, even early-stage Twitter.
The point isn’t that blitzscaling is wrong. It’s that it’s only the right strategy if you know what kind of business you’re building.
A tree that grows fast might be useful for a quick harvest, but it will never be a sequoia.
The Space Between Growth (Ma 間)
In Japanese culture, there’s a concept called ma—the space between things. It’s the pause in music that makes the notes more powerful. The empty space in art that gives a painting depth. The breathing room in architecture that creates balance.
Growth works the same way. It’s not just the action—it’s the space between the action that allows things to strengthen, deepen, and last.
If you remove ma, you might still grow. But will it be the kind of growth you actually want?
What Are You Measuring Growth Against?
We often define growth based on someone else’s timeline, someone else’s metrics. But are we making the right comparisons?
A company that’s moving slower than its competitor isn’t necessarily failing—it might just be building something stronger. A person who takes a step back in their career isn’t necessarily regressing—they might be making space for something greater.
So before chasing growth at all costs, ask:
Am I measuring the right things?
What kind of growth am I actually building toward?
And if it doesn’t look like growth—compared to what?
