The Challenge:
Tquila at the time comprised of 15 talented individuals about to embark on an ambitious journey to scale its operations rapidly. Intending to reach 80 employees within a few years, the company faced the critical challenge of not only expanding its workforce but also ensuring retention amidst a fast-paced startup environment.
At the time, the scarcity of skilled salesforce talent in Australia intensified this challenge, with competitors offering incredibly high salaries to a very minimal number of experienced people as everyone raced to grow a Salesforce practice in Australia.
Scaling an organisation at such a rapid pace required a conscious focus on its most valuable asset: its people. Tquila recognised that retaining its top talent was paramount to achieving its growth objectives while maintaining their company culture.
The APPROACH:
Strategic Analysis using the Predictive Index uncovered Tquila’s team dynamics and leadership structure
Utilizing the Predictive Index, we conducted an in-depth analysis to map out the team’s dynamics and identify key areas for improvement that would enable Tquila to scale. For instance, in recognising the importance of risk-taking in driving innovation and growth within a start-up, we appointed a CFO with a profile inclined towards embracing risk – a departure from the conventional role of a CFO focused solely on risk mitigation.
The analysis revealed the Executive team was an ‘Exploring team’. This made the group excellent at new ideas, innovation, agility, and risk, however, once Tquila scaled up to 50 people, it became apparent that there was a lack of streamlined processes, inefficient onboarding procedures, and other processes that posed significant obstacles to continuing to scale effectively.
The strategy that enabled growth from 18 to 50 wasn’t the strategy that would allow Tquila to scale from 50 to 80+
Armed with a deeper understanding of Tquila’s team dynamics and business needs at this new team size of 50, we devised a multifaceted strategy to address its operational challenges while maintaining alignment with overarching growth objectives.
Leveraging the Competing Values Framework, we roadmapped the next phase of growth with an emphasis on improving discipline, process optimisation, and precision within the team.
To make this a reality, we strategically designed and hired two new positions that would complement the existing team dynamics and fill critical gaps in the expertise required to enable Tquila to grow.
We used data-driven decision-making to guide strategic choices, utilising the Predictive Index tools and analytics to justify these hires, ensuring they were purposeful and aligned with Tquila’s strategy and culture.
“I love the profiling tool – you get a better understanding of the people you work with and through it, we can grow a much stronger company and culture”
The IMPACT:
Through our collaborative efforts, Tquila was able to achieve significant improvements in its operational efficiency, employee retention, and overall growth trajectory.
By strategically aligning its workforce with its business objectives and fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making, the company was better positioned to navigate the challenges of rapid scaling while preserving its core values.
Ultimately, our partnership with Tquila exemplifies the transformative power of leveraging people dynamics and the Predictive Index to drive organisational success. By prioritising the development and retention of its talent pool, Tquila laid a solid foundation for sustained growth and continued innovation in the competitive start-up landscape.