Building the Awesome Organization

Building the Awesome Organization discusses the eight components of an awesome organization. This book will help you to realize the core competencies for growth. It describes the processes, policies and systems that support growth. Find out how to attract and retain awesome peoplea and develop an environment that motivates and empowers people to achieve extraordinary results. Explore the responsibilities of the leader and the expectations others have of the role that the leader of an entrepreneurial company will play. Foreword.

Acknowledgments.

1. Why Build an Awesome Organization?

2. Take the Quiz: How Awesome Is Your Organization?

3. Develop an Innovative Culture for Growth.

4. Attract Awesome People for Growth.

5. Retain Awesome People for Growth.

6. Create Your Plan for Growth.

7. Prime Your Top Team for Growth.

8. Establish Your Infrastructure for Growth.

9. Become the Awesome Leader of Growth.

10. In the End, It's Up to You.

Appendix A: Glossary of Growth and Organization-BuildingTerms.

Appendix B: Stages of Growth and the Leader's Roles.

Appendix C: Creating a Core Values Statement for Growth.

Appendix D: Model for Creative Problem Solving.

Appendix E: Examples of Mission, Values, and VisionStatements.

Appendix F: Helping Build Your Company's Profit Spiral?(TM).

Index. For the past 15 years, Katherine Catlin has helped CEOs and theirexecutive teams manage the challenges of fast-paced growth. She isthe founding partner of The Catlin Group, a consulting firm thatworks with entrepreneurial companies nationwide.

Jana Matthews is president and CEO ofBoulder Quantum Ventures, afirm that helps CEOs and their top teams unlock their company'sgrowth potential. Matthews was the architect of many high-growthprograms at the Kauffman Center for EntrepreneurialLeadership.

The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Launched in 1992by Ewing Marion Kauffman to provide opportunity for otherentrepreneurs, the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadershipis the largest organization focused solely on entrepreneurialsuccess at all levels. Funded by the Ewing Marion KauffmanFoundation, a not-for-profit organization, the Center offerseducational programs, initiatives, and partnerships aimed athelping youth, college students and adults who want to learn moreabout entrepreneurship and growing their companies. "One of the most practical guides to the nuts and bolts of building an organization that I have ever read." —Patrick Lencioni, Author of The Five Temptations of a CEO An awesome organization is what every business aspires to be: profitable, growth-oriented—the kind of company where the most talented people want to work. But how do you build an awesome organization? This book provides the answers. Drawing on the resources of the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and more than 500 successful entrepreneurs, authors Katherine Catlin and Jana Matthews explain how to assess the overall health of your company with an overview quiz. Then, they detail the six components you need to develop in order to create an awesome organization— and show you, step-by-step, how to implement them in your company. You'll find out how to:

• Develop an innovative culture for growth—an empowering, motivating environment that attracts awesome people
• Hire and retain awesome people whose know-how, skills, insight, imagination, and ideas give your company a competitive edge
• Create your plan for growth—a written, yet flexible, blueprint that defines requirements for growth and innovation
• Prime your top team for growth by making sure they all share the company vision and understand their leadership roles
• Establish your infrastructure for growth with the right organizational structure and three key sets of processes
• Become the awesome leader of growth by communicating a sense of purpose and aligning people with the mission, vision, and values

Complete with detailed SCANs (quizzes) to help you benchmark your company's performance and real-life stories of what successful CEOs did to build their companies, as well as action plans and lists of "Red Flags" and "Vital Signs," Building the Awesome Organization is your indispensable road map for entrepreneurial growth.www.hungryminds.com Acclaim for Building the Awesome Organization "A quick, concise entrepreneurial guide that yields real-world solutions for both start-ups and established businesses." —Bob Nelson, Ph.D., Author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees "Finally—a book that provides practical, actionable advice to entrepreneurs and CEOs on how to develop an organization to support growth. This book is a ‘must read’ for anyone trying to accelerate the growth of a company." —Pat Cloherty, President, The U.S. Russia Investment Fund and former President and General Partner of Patricof & Co. Ventures, Inc. (now Apax Partners) "Building the Awesome Organization provides leaders and entrepreneurs with valuable tools for navigating the storms of growth." —Gary Hoover, Founder, Hoover's Inc., Author of Hoover's Vision: Original Thinking for Business Success "I read a lot of business articles and books looking for a few good nuggets I can use to build and improve our company. When I finished reading this book I got more than a few nuggets. I got an entire gold mine." —Jack Stack, CEO, SRC Holdings, Corp., Author of A Stake in the Outcome Launched in 1992 by Ewing Marion Kauffman to provide opportunity for other entrepreneurs, the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is the largest organization focused solely on entrepreneurial success at all levels. Funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, the Center offers educational programs, initiatives, and partnerships aimed at helping youth, college students, and adults who want to learn more about entrepreneurship and growing their companies. For information on other books in the series, including Leading at the Speed of Growth, visit www.entreworld.org