One of the toughest lessons every business leader learns is how hard it is to generate sustained growth. Stalled growth is the rule, not the exception--even for the best-managed companies. That's especially true in unpredictable economic environments such as the one we're experiencing today. McKee has a unique understanding of what happens when growth stalls. His firm commissioned a study of 700 companies that had at one time been among the nation's fastest-growing businesses. Developed in concert with Decision Analyst, a leading national research and consulting firm, the study probed areas as diverse as corporate structure, competition, branding, finance, and strategy. The target respondent profile were CEOs, owners, principals, presidents, managing directors or chairmen of the board. In-depth follow-up interviews yielded fascinating stories and personal comments from executives who had been living on the front lines of real-life growth crises. McKee presents compelling knowledge about how and why companies lose their way, and offers practical advice about how they can rekindle growth. When Growth Stalls demonstrates that sluggish growth is generally produced not by mismanagement or strategic blundering but by natural market forces and management dynamics that are often unrecognized--and widespread. The book presents seven characteristics that commonly correlate with stalled growth and what to do about them. Some are external forces to which countless companies have fallen victim: economic upheavals, changing industry dynamics, and increased competition. What McKee points out, however, is how often they catch companies off-guard. More surprising are four subtle and highly destructive internal factors that conspire to keep companies down: lack of consensus among the management team, loss of nerve, loss of focus, and marketing inconsistency. McKee makes the case that, regardless of what's going on outside of an enterprise, it's what's inside that counts.

From the Inside Flap

When Growth Stalls One of the biggest challenges any business leader faces is generating consistent, profitable growth. But stalled growth is the rule, not the exception, even for the best-managed companies. That's especially true in today's tumultuous economic environment. When Growth Stalls is a practical, hands-on guide for executives, managers, and entrepreneurs who are struggling with stalled growth as well as for those who hope to prevent it. In this book, marketing expert Steve McKee presents fascinating evidence that demonstrates that sluggish growth is usually produced not by mismanagement or strategic blundering, but by natural market forces and destructive internal dynamics that are widespread—and often unrecognized. All companies struggle with external forces such as economic upheavals, changing industry dynamics, and increased competition. When Growth Stalls explores how these forces conspire to take companies down. But the book also looks beyond these natural market forces and explains how four subtle and highly destructive internal factors conspire to keep companies down: a lack of consensus among the management team, a loss of nerve, a loss of focus, and marketing inconsistency. Conquering these, McKee's research shows, is the real key to overcoming stalled growth. When Growth Stalls demonstrates that no matter what's going on outside an enterprise, it's what's inside that counts. Public or private, for-profit or not-for-profit, consumer-focused or business-to-business—organizations of every size and shape are subject to the same challenges. Throughout this groundbreaking book, McKee explains how to turn things around, offering proven and practical advice for rekindling growth.