MESH/Diversity helps organizations build or improve an inclusive workplace culture by seamlessly integrating anti-racism, anti-oppression and Diversity Intelligence™️ into their everyday business practices.
Michael Wright and Dr. Leeno Karumanchery, the co-founders of MESH, noticed that the fundamental problem in Diversity & Inclusion is that people don't understand the real root of the problem.
"We built a platform around brining science to D&I, which is where my cofounder Dr. Karumanchery has spent his entire career," says Michael Wright. "We enable organizations to tackle D&I issues at a systems level, because it is a systems problem and not a people problem."
MESH has seen their client base steadily grow since their founding in 2013, confirming that using #TechforGood benefits the community we live and work in. For both co-founders, building something everlasting was always about measuring the right things. This is reflected in their work, the platform, and in the way they meticulously set out to scale up their fast-growing company.
"We were coming off a solid growth year and were at the scaling point in our lifecycle. We wanted a framework, methodology and some type of rigor to stay focussed," says Michael.
They enrolled in Venn Innovation's Set to Scale in Q1 2021, a program based on Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up Methodology, created with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. It helps our region's businesses understand processes and gain knowledge to execute on their growth objectives around people, strategy, execution, and cash. Participating companies will work with a dedicated, certified Scaling Up Coach for over a 6–12-month period.
Michael Wright, Co-Founder & CEO, MESH/Diversity
We sat down to speak with Michael about MESH's Scaling Up journey.
What is the right stage for a company to consider a program like this?
It's really about the people. I think it has much more to do with people and leadership, than with revenue and numbers, to determine when a company is ready for the Set to Scale program.
Who from your team is participating?
It's our executive leadership team right now. You cannot have a single source or a single leader jump in and take advantage of it on behalf of the company. It needs to be a team that is ready, who is participating in this.
We prioritize communication and transparency. After each planning session, we communicate with our entire organization about what we're doing and where we're going. We do have the intention to deploy the methodology organization-wide in the future, but it's a process. Our coach Andy Buyting is really helping with this and we do want the learning to ripple through the organization.
How has your team responded to the program?
We have a sense of focus that has really brought us together as a team, and it's not just me saying this. We're all responding the same. Everyone in our leadership team is having a similar experience.
I'm never not busy, and I'm never going to get less busy but after engaging in the program, we feel our business is controlled, focussed and driven.
The cadence we've laid out for the program is really good. I'm never more than two weeks away from bringing anything to Andy. If there is an emergency, I can speak with him anytime I need to. It's about our coach's ability to embed the best practises into our day-to-day tasks, so it becomes a part of our team's DNA. It has helped us build the mindset to go to the next level.
Given that you have only been in the program for just under 6 months, what have been the impacts so far?
We have a plan and are executing on it, and the fact that we have confidence in the plan, is key.
Adding a high level of structure, focus, guidance and facilitating discussions (that the coach brings), I have a much better sense of what it is going to take to achieve our plan.
One of our investors observed that companies that have a methodology tend to outperform those that don’t. We had our eye on this methodology, so this program came along at the right time.
Has the scaling up methodology been easy to implement?
Anything worth doing is not going to be easy. Whenever we're introduced to something new, there is a little struggle around settling down with it, but it is always worth it. It's not a silver bullet; you get out what you put in.
Before the program, there were lots of times when we battled with prioritization and dealing with unplanned, unexpected requirements. We have learned a lot. This program has enabled the entire leadership team to get on the same page and be driving in the same direction. Not that we weren't doing this before, but we now have a framework to communicate this with each other, and that is powerful.
Based on MESH's experience and Michael's observations, here are 2 pieces of advice for companies who are thinking about scaling up:
In order to get the best out of a program, you don’t need a coach you always agree with, but you do need a growth-focussed, coachable team. Your coach can bring a fresh set of perspectives to your challenges and ideas but is not someone who will do your work while you sit back. A team with the desire to take the business to the next level, who seek a framework for execution and implementation, will find that this methodology breaks down their barriers.
If you are looking for investment or have an investor, a program like this can be a no-brainer. Apart from giving you the tools to capitalize on opportunities, it helps you understand the process, brings clarity on what you're targeting and where you are headed, among others. When you embed a high level of clarity into your words, thoughts and actions, with people internally and externally, it boosts confidence in your team.
If you are curious about the Set to Scale program, you can read more about it or write to us at nandhini@venninnovation.com
About MESH/Diversity:
MESH/diversity leverages the power of behavioural science, providing organizations as outcome based, metrics driven Diversity and Inclusion Program. Their Diversity Intelligence Platform puts real metrics on safety, belonging and inclusion and provides actionable insights to drive work culture forward.
www.meshdiversity.com