Why growth initiatives stall — even when they look like core business
In boardrooms across industries, growth is once again a top priority. But here’s the inconvenient truth: many strategic initiatives that are expected to deliver this growth are quietly failing. Not because of poor execution. Not because of lack of ideas. But because they were never set up for success in the first place.
I’ve worked with dozens of corporate innovation and transformation leaders over the years. One pattern keeps repeating: Companies underestimate the uncertainty baked into their so-called “core” growth initiatives.
In a recent session with 15+ senior executives, we mapped 50 active initiatives using the Ansoff Matrix. On paper, most were inside the existing business model. But after running a deeper diagnostic, nearly one-third showed characteristics of high uncertainty such as
- Significant changes to the business model canvas
- Dependence on new or reconfigured capabilities
- Assumptions about shifts in customer behavior
These initiatives were managed as safe bets. But they were actually strategic bets in disguise. The following video explains the issue.
What is “Growth at the Edge of Core”?
Growth at the Edge of Core is a strategic framing. It describes initiatives that look like extensions of the current business but actually require innovation logic to succeed. These initiatives carry hidden uncertainty. When managed as standard projects, they stall or fail silently. Examples for these “at the edge” initiatives include:
- New offerings that depend on untested customer behavior
- Services requiring new sales capabilities or delivery models
- Internal platform plays with unclear monetization logic
If you’re treating these initiatives with execution-only mindsets, you’re likely misclassifying bets as plans.
Who should care about this?
This framing matters for:
- C-suite leaders who need to ensure portfolio-level visibility and avoid investing in slow-motion failures. Benefit: Improved capital allocation, reduced risk exposure, clearer board reporting.
- Heads of Transformation and growth initiate owners who are under pressure to deliver results without drama. Benefit: Faster issue surfacing, lower execution risk, more credible planning.
- Business Unit leaders who must prioritize scarce resources and stop chasing initiatives that can’t scale. Benefit: Clearer initiative focus, fewer stalled projects, improved team productivity.
- Marketing and Sales heads who are often pulled in too late, then forced to rescue unvalidated go-to-market plans. Benefit: Better launch readiness, fewer last-minute pivots, faster revenue traction.
- Heads of Innovation units who want to demonstrate rapid, visible value and avoid being labeled as cost centers. Benefit: Increased internal credibility, budget protection, relevance to the business.
The consequences of misclassification
When you treat a strategic bet like an executable plan, several things happen:
- Assumptions go unvalidated.
- Cross-functional alignment stays shallow.
- GTM readiness is assumed, not proven.
- Surprises appear late — when they’re most expensive to fix.
The result? Delays. Internal friction. Lost credibility. And growth that never materializes. In particular, the ambitious plans do not reflect reality. The following video explains the issue.
A smarter approach to growth
What we need is a new logic for initiatives that sit between execution and innovation. That logic is embedded in the Lean Scaleup framework (see here), which I co-created with over 100 corporate experts. The Lean Scaleup approach helps organizations:
- Identify high-uncertainty initiatives early
- De-risk them through structured validation and alignment
- Build governance models that don’t slow everything down
- Connect the NOW (the core business) with the NEW (validated growth)
Growth at the Edge of Core is one way we apply this logic inside the business. It’s pragmatic. It’s not about setting up new labs or launching moonshots. It’s about getting Core ready to handle growth that doesn’t fit the standard mold.
Three moves to make now
If you’re leading or funding strategic growth initiatives, here are three smart moves to make now.
1. Audit your portfolio: Map your growth initiatives by uncertainty and risk. In one of our recent LinkedIn posts, we show how the result of such a portfolio audit can look like.
2. Validate assumptions early: Test critical assumptions while there’s still room to pivot.
3. Align stakeholders up front: Friction doesn’t disappear with better dashboards. It disappears when people are aligned on logic and evidence.
Further resources
If this framing resonates, check out the tools in our toolbox. For example:
- [Growth Risk Checklist] — Spot hidden uncertainty in your growth initiatives;
- [New Frontier Guide] — A playbook for innovation units to lead from inside;
- [GTM Alignment Guide] — Make sure you’re not launching into confusion.
Just send me a message if you are interested in one of these or other tools from the Growth At The Edge toolbox.
Final word
Growth isn’t just about ideas or execution. It’s about making the right calls on what type of initiative you’re dealing with — and leading it accordingly. Growth at the Edge of Core is a language. A logic.
It helps you treat high-uncertainty initiatives differently — before they fail. Let’s stop calling everything “Core” just because there is pressure on short-term and revenue protection. Let’s lead with eyes open.