Some companies keep climbing, while others plateau – and the difference often comes down to where leaders focus their time and energy. Kevin Lawrence is founder of Lawrence & Co, co-author of Scaling Up, and my co-host for 166 episodes of The Growth Whisperers. 

Kevin explains why growth only happens when CEOs stay in the cockpit, fix their eyes on opportunity, and summon the courage to push forward – especially when the business starts to feel comfortable. Improvement is necessary, but it’s not enough. Real growth requires being future-focused, externally engaged, and bold enough to make the tough calls. 

Takeaways 
CEOs must stay in the cockpit, focused on opportunity, not internal distractions. 
Improvement matters, but without growth initiatives, companies eventually lose momentum and stall. 
Courage fuels growth—fear pulls leaders into safety, comfort, and missed opportunities. 
Many strategic plans look impressive but fail to drive real customer expansion. 
Earned growth comes from delivering value so exceptional that clients do the selling. 
Loyalty to underperforming team members can quietly kill momentum and stall progress. 
The best CEOs spend most of their time engaging directly with the market. 
A strong team allows leaders to focus on long-term vision, not firefighting. 

Follow Kevin Lawrence 
https://lawrenceandco.com/ 

The Growth Whisperers podcast 
https://evolutionpartners.com.au/podcast-tgw/ 

Books on this episode 
The Four Forces of Growth by Kevin Lawrence https://a.co/d/iNhnHlI
Your Oxygen Mask First by Kein Lawrence https://a.co/d/dyxsA4F
Better Simpler Strategy by Felix Oberholzer-Gee https://amzn.to/4qmPaoe 

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners

Newsletter – each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/ 

Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/ 
Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO 
Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. 
Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster. 

Follow me: 
on https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles
on https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth 

Enjoying the show? Leave a review 

Some companies keep climbing, while others plateau &ndash; and the difference often comes down to where leaders focus their time and energy. Kevin Lawrence is founder of Lawrence &amp; Co, co-author of Scaling Up, and my co-host for 166 episodes of The Growth Whisperers.&nbsp;
Kevin explains why growth only happens when CEOs stay in the cockpit, fix their eyes on opportunity, and summon the courage to push forward &ndash; especially when the business starts to feel comfortable. Improvement is necessary, but it&rsquo;s not enough. Real growth requires being future-focused, externally engaged, and bold enough to make the tough calls.&nbsp;
Takeaways&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>CEOs must stay in the cockpit, focused on opportunity, not internal distractions.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Improvement matters, but without growth initiatives, companies eventually lose momentum and stall.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Courage fuels growth&mdash;fear pulls leaders into safety, comfort, and missed opportunities.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Many strategic plans look impressive but fail to drive real customer expansion.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Earned growth comes from delivering value so exceptional that clients do the selling.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Loyalty to underperforming team members can quietly kill momentum and stall progress.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The best CEOs spend most of their time engaging directly with the market.&nbsp;</li>
<li>A strong team allows leaders to focus on long-term vision, not firefighting.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Follow Kevin Lawrence <a href="https://lawrenceandco.com/">https://lawrenceandco.com/</a>&nbsp;
The Growth Whisperers podcast <a href="https://evolutionpartners.com.au/podcast-tgw/">https://evolutionpartners.com.au/podcast-tgw/</a>&nbsp;
Books on this episode The Four Forces of Growth by Kevin Lawrence <a href="https://a.co/d/iNhnHlI">https://a.co/d/iNhnHlI</a> Your Oxygen Mask First by Kein Lawrence <a href="https://a.co/d/dyxsA4F">https://a.co/d/dyxsA4F</a> Better Simpler Strategy by Felix Oberholzer-Gee <a href="https://amzn.to/4qmPaoe">https://amzn.to/4qmPaoe</a>&nbsp;
Watch the episode on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners">https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners</a>
Newsletter &ndash; each week I share interesting insights, articles and ideas you can use. Join other leaders and subscribe to The Evolution Partners newsletter&nbsp;<a href="https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/">https://evolutionpartners.com.au/subscribe/</a>&nbsp;
Books &ndash; Learn more about our books <a href="https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/">https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/</a>&nbsp; Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster.&nbsp;
Follow me: on <a href="https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles">https://au.linkedin.com/in/bradleygiles</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth">https://twitter.com/Evolution_Perth</a>&nbsp;
Enjoying the show? Leave a review&nbsp;

A place for the world’s leading thinkers, planners and doers.

The Evolution Partners is a weekly podcast hosted by Brad Giles. Join Brad as he engages in conversations with some of the world’s sharpest minds, learning a bit more about them and delving into what makes them tick.

A place for the world’s leading thinkers, planners and doers.
The Evolution Partners is a weekly podcast hosted by Brad Giles. Join Brad as he engages in conversations with some of the world’s sharpest minds, learning a bit more about them and delving into what makes them tick.

The Evolution Partners

Each week Brad Giles talks with the world’s leading thinkers, planners and doers who are helping to build great companies in their own way.

We learn how the work they’re doing is creating an impact and get to know a little bit more about them, and what makes them tick.

Each week Brad Giles talks with the world’s leading thinkers, planners and doers who are helping to build great companies in their own way.
We learn how the work they’re doing is creating an impact and get to know a little bit more about them, and what makes them tick.

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