Leverage Maps #10: Grow with Scaffolds, Not Glue
Big companies didn't scale on glue. They scaled because they built scaffolds. When small companies skip that step, they crack under that growth.
Leverage Maps #10: Grow with Scaffolds, Not Glue
Glue is people who silently hold everything together. But glue breaks when you scale. What you need instead are scaffolds:
- Onboarding that doesn’t rely on shadowing
- Docs that reduce decision debt
- Systems that expose risk early
- Norms that compound trust
Scaffolds make the work visible, repeatable, and resilient. They're systems that hold up the team instead of just holding it together.
That’s why your leverage map matters. The fast path, built on glue, feels efficient, but it's fragile. What got you here won’t get you there. Take the scalable path now, or pay for it later in growing pains.
How to reward scaffold work:
- Name it in reviews
- Tie it to promotions
- Give time to build it
- Track system impact (handoffs, onboarding, incident load)
If you want sustainable growth, don’t just reward output. Reward infrastructure, systems, scaffolds.
If you've ever been the glue, what scaffold would have helped?
