Resetting for growth after a tough year – the move from surviving to scaling

Some years go to plan. Others… don’t.

Maybe growth stalled. Maybe margins shrank. Maybe the big bet didn’t land, or the market shifted overnight. Either way, the energy that once felt expansive turned inward. Defensive. Cautious.

Now comes the hard (and hopeful) part: the reset.

Because surviving is not the same as scaling. And if you want to grow again, you have to shake off the drag of last year and rewire the business for momentum.

Here’s how to reset – clearly, cleanly, and with conviction.

1. Stop telling the old story

Every business has a story it tells itself about what happened. Why targets weren’t hit. Who left. What changed.

Let it go.

Growth doesn’t live in retrospectives. It lives in what’s next. That doesn’t mean ignoring the past, it means not getting stuck in it.

Reset behaviour:
Start every leadership meeting by talking about future opportunities, not past failures.

2. Make space before you add

Growth needs room. But most organisations try to layer new strategies on top of bloated systems, outdated products, or exhausted teams.

Don’t pile on. Clear out.

Cut the projects that no longer fit. Retire the KPIs that don’t signal impact. Create the space – operational and emotional – for something new to breathe.

Reset behaviour:
Ask: ‘If we had to start from zero, what would we not rebuild?’

3. Reground in purpose – then realign everything

After a tough year, teams often lose sight of why they do what they do. And without that, focus drifts. Energy scatters.

Get sharp again.

What’s your ambition? What’s your North Star? Why does growth even matter?

When purpose is clear, priorities get crisper. Noise gets quieter. People can move.

Reset behaviour:
Rebuild your goals and operating plan around a simple, bold statement of what you’re here to grow – and why it matters.

4. Shift from efficiency mode to builder mode

Hard years teach efficiency. But efficiency doesn’t build the next chapter.

Growth needs bets. Curiosity. Momentum. Not just better margins – it needs better moves.

Now’s the time to rebalance. Turn off pure optimisation mode and re-activate creativity.

Reset behaviour:
Give teams permission to think bigger again. Even just a little. Run small experiments that signal the shift.

5. Put growth back on the calendar

If growth isn’t scheduled, it doesn’t happen.

Literally block time. Reserve budget. Reassign talent. Talk about growth targets weekly, not quarterly. Build a drumbeat.

Because the fastest way to stay in survival mode is to only ever talk about survival.

Reset behaviour:
Launch a ‘growth hour’ every week. One hour where teams bring ideas, wins, tests – and talk only about what’s next.

6. Lead like it’s working

Teams take their cue from the top. If leaders act rattled, sceptical, or vague – teams retreat.

This is the time to lead with belief. Show energy. Share the upside. Acknowledge what was hard but focus on what’s possible.

Hope is a growth lever. So is clarity. People move when they can see the direction – and feel the lift.

Reset behaviour:
Tell a new growth story in every channel: leadership notes, town halls, investor decks. Be consistent. Be bold.

Final word: the reset is the strategy

You don’t scale by waiting for perfect conditions. You scale by deciding the next phase has already started – and acting like it.

Clean the slate. Name the ambition. Make room. And start building like the future is yours to shape.

Because it is.

Here’s to a good commercial start for the next calendar year.