DO-SELL-GROW

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Summary

MtL System Module 3

Shows how to use the DO-SELL-GROW framework to communicate what the organization DOes, how the organization creates demand for, or SELLs, what it does, and how the organization increases, or GROWs, capacity to DO and SELL.

MtL Tutorial Module 3

Provides background, instruction, practice cases, and input prompts that prepare leaders to use the DO-SELL-GROW Framework.

Every business is a system of at least three systems. The system of doing what it does, or DO, the system of creating demand for what it does, or SELL, and the system of increasing capacity to sell and do, or GROW.

This 40-second clip introduces the DO-SELL-GROW systems that explain HOW an organization works:

Every high-performing team must answer not only WHAT-WHO-WHY but also HOW.

Peter Drucker reminds us that “a business exists to solve a problem for a customer.” Module 2 showed how to pin down WHAT you deliver, WHO decides to buy, and WHY they choose you. But clarity cannot stop there. A team that knows its purpose must still orchestrate the disciplined work of delivering, selling, and scaling. That is the domain of DO-SELL-GROW.

A model of the three interlocking systems explains how any organization, from two-person start-up to global enterprise, achieves repeatable performance and sustainable growth:

  • DO (Execution) Deliver what you promise.

  • SELL (Demand Creation) Generate, qualify, and win demand.

  • GROW (Capacity Development) Build the resources and infrastructure to do and sell better and at ever-greater scale.

Everything leaders spend time or money on should either sit inside one of these systems or clearly support them. Work that does neither is, at best, overhead—and at worst, drag.

DO – Execution
Reliable execution is table stakes. Without it customers leave, quality erodes, and scaling is reckless. Hallmarks of a mature DO system:

  • Documented workflows grounded in proven methods

  • Explicit quality standards and inspection points

  • Institutional knowledge captured in playbooks, not people’s heads

  • Metrics that reveal throughput, defect rates, and cycle times

Picture an operation that can forecast load, schedule labor, and hit on-time delivery 98% of the time. Only when DO is that solid should you deliberately pour fuel on the SELL fire, or you risk burning down what you have built.

SELL – Demand Creation
A brilliant product is worthless if nobody knows about it or can justify buying it. Mature SELL systems have:

  • Clear ICP-driven positioning and messaging

  • Engineered campaigns that move strangers to prospects to customers

  • Repeatable sales motions codified in playbooks and supported with enablement assets

  • Funnels instrumented so conversion can be measured and improved

When SELL is systematized, leaders gain confidence to invest in capacity, knowing demand will materialize.

GROW – Capacity Development
If DO guards today’s customers and SELL secures tomorrow’s, GROW ensures you can serve all of them next quarter, next year, and beyond. Elements of a mature GROW system:

  • Talent pipelines, onboarding paths, and up-skilling programs

  • Leadership development that scales decision-making, not just headcount

  • Capital strategy and budgeting that fund expansion at the right pace

  • Technology and process engineering that remove friction before it stalls growth

Many firms collapse here: they create demand faster than they can fulfill it, or they add bodies faster than the culture and systems can absorb them. Either way, the flywheel grinds to a halt.

Interdependence and Iteration

DO, SELL, and GROW never evolve in isolation or lock-step. An early-stage venture usually starts by doing for one customer. Once execution is good enough, leaders shift energy to selling. When orders outstrip capacity, they grow infrastructure and talent. New volume then stresses DO again, and the cycle repeats.

At any moment one system is the bottleneck. Leadership’s job is to know which and to elevate its maturity until constraint shifts elsewhere. Ask continuously: “Which system limits our performance right now?” Fix that limb of the tripod before pressing harder on the others.

Shared Traits of Mature Systems
Across all three domains, mature systems are:

  • Defined – Everyone can describe the process.

  • Predictable – Outcomes are consistent within known variation.

  • Repeatable & Replicable – Others can run the play without heroics.

  • Documented & Taught – Knowledge survives turnover.

  • Maintained & Improved – Lessons learned feed back into the system.

In short, they are systematic. Ordinary people following systematic processes outperform superstars improvising in chaos.

From Heroics to Repeatability: The Credible Stage
The Manage-to-Lead framework labels the transition from start-up urgency to systematic execution the Credible Stage of Maturity. At this point leadership moves from “getting things done” to “building a business that gets things done.” The enterprise gravitates toward one primary way of working, or business model, (product, service, operation, channel, or exchange) each with its own financial logic, KPIs, and competence demands. Picking a dominant model focuses DO-SELL-GROW systems on a single revenue engine and reassures investors that growth can be scaled predictably.

Ownership and Accountability
Maturing systems require unambiguous ownership. Every leader must know:

  • Which core system (or subsystem) they steward

  • The metrics that define success there

  • The cadence by which they track progress and surface impediments

Without that clarity, balls drop, duplicates proliferate, and politics fill the vacuum.

It’s About Systems, Not Superstars

A company that depends on hero sellers, magical project managers, or code wizards is fragile. When they leave or are absent, the engine fails. A company that depends on systems, where regular people can achieve extraordinary results, is resilient. Leaders should celebrate superstars, but invest in systems.

Common Failure Modes
Teams that understand WHAT-WHO-WHY still stumble if they:

  • Under-resource DO – New logos flood in, service falters, churn rises.

  • Ignore SELL – Delivery hums but pipeline dries up; capacity sits idle.

  • Neglect GROW – Execution and demand both spike, but hiring, training, and tooling lag; everyone burns out.

Self-diagnose often. Wherever pain is throbbing hardest probably signals the constraint. Mature that system next.

Embedding Continuous Improvement
Make DO-SELL-GROW maturity a standing agenda item in leadership reviews. Use retrospectives, customer feedback, and quantitative data to detect drift or new constraints. Then allocate initiative owners, budgets, and timelines before the next crisis. Your best future problems should always be bigger versions of the ones you just solved.

The Big Picture
Nailing WHAT-WHO-WHY tells you why you exist. Systematizing DO-SELL-GROW proves you can deliver on that promise at scale. Together they form the backbone of credibility with customers, employees, and investors.

Put These Ideas Into Practice

In the Manage to Lead (MtL) program, you don’t just study tools like process mapping — you apply them directly to your own organization. YOUR CASE IS THE COURSE. By working hands-on with proven frameworks, you and your team surface hidden assumptions, sharpen execution, and accelerate performance. Learn more about the MtL program here »