THE SCALE TEAM: NINE KEY PROFILES

April 2007, Ramallah. Our Trojan horse was stationed near Amin Lubada’s house. He was a notorious terrorist, wanted for years for masterminding seven bombings that injured and killed dozens of innocent people. There we were, immersed in the silence and total darkness of a windowless truck, deep in extremely dangerous territory. It was 3:00 A.M., and adrenaline was at its peak. We were waiting for the agreed-upon signal, our minds racing through all the possible scenarios one last time.

Pow, pow, pow!

The back door opened violently, and we tumbled out of the undercover vehicle. A dozen well-trained fighters. We split into four distinct task forces, sprinting into position. Each of us had a clear role to play. A well-established strategy designed to flush out one of the most dangerous terrorists in the Middle East—without collateral damage.

Another long silence.

Bam, bam, bam, bam!

A burst of bullets. A projectile passed right over my head and Elisha’s, a longtime teammate in the elite Unit 217. We quickly located the origin of the shot, repositioned ourselves, and took cover in a blind spot. We returned fire and signaled to the task force stationed on a roof overlooking the scene. In no time at all, Amin Lubada was neutralized. Mission accomplished.

Exceptional Challenges Require an Exceptional Team

Just like in that operation, where each of us had a crucial role that contributed to the mission’s success, scaling a business requires a similar approach. It’s not enough to have just any team; you need the right combination of people—each with a unique skill set and role—if you’re going to overcome the challenges that scaling presents.

In the years since that operation and dozens of others that followed, I’ve had the opportunity to analyze the efficiency of many teams in different environments. Whether the mission was launching a startup, scaling up a mature company, or carrying out a difficult operation in enemy territory, they all had one common denominator. When faced with risk, teams can only succeed if they include certain key profiles. If even one of these is missing, the entire endeavor is at risk. Scaling up is an exceptional challenge and therefore requires not only efficient but also complementary teammates.

Here are the nine key profiles that, in my experience, make all the difference between a good team and an exceptional team.

1. The Visionary – Imagines the Concept

You know this profile well. Like Henry Ford or Steve Jobs, this leader can galvanize a team around a clear long-term vision. Creative, often a business thinker, they are driven by the burning desire to have an impact on the society of tomorrow. This person is farsighted and imagines the product or service likely to carry the initial vision forward. Their credibility will be directly proportional to their ability to execute the steps required to complete the project.

Henry Ford left humanity with a unique industrial concept that increased productivity in the automotive industry by around 300%. Steve Jobs, on the other hand, was the forerunner of technological ubiquity. Visionaries are usually the founders of companies. Those who also combine coaching, composure, charisma, and organizational skills usually play the additional role of CEO.

2. The Builder – Designs the Product

Leonardo da Vinci was an incredible visionary, the father of civil and military mobility. However, he lacked one key profile at his side to turn his concepts into reality. Hundreds of years before their time, he imagined and tried to prototype models of airplanes, tanks, parachutes, and even drones. But none of these machines ever became a product sold on the Venetian market. The builder ensures this essential step: transforming a vision into a finished product.

Steve Wozniak brilliantly played this role alongside Steve Jobs in the early ‘80s. While Jobs was the visionary, Wozniak’s technical brilliance turned Apple’s vision into a reality. His engineering skills led to the development of the Apple I and Apple II, which laid the foundation for Apple’s explosive growth. Builders have strong problem-solving skills and are instrumental in developing innovative products that shape industries.

3. The Coordinator – Listens to the Client

The launch of our first startup ended in failure. The second, however, kept its promises. One notable difference between the two enterprises was the presence of a coordinator. In our first entrepreneurial odyssey, we managed to transform our vision into a tangible product, a mobile knowledge management application. But the sequel was cut short by a lack of coordination between customer requests and the features developed. We failed to achieve the all-important product-market fit.

The coordinator is like a midfielder in soccer, acting as the link between defense and attack. They ensure that what’s delivered is always in line with what customers want, even if their requests change. To be effective, they must be good listeners, able to translate customer needs into technical adjustments, and ensure smooth operational follow-up.

4. The Booster – Builds a Sales Machine at Scale

The visionary provides the vision, the builder creates the product, and the coordinator ensures the product aligns with customer needs. But to truly scale, you need a booster—a bulldozer profile capable of making sales skyrocket.

In the early ‘70s, a small coffeehouse chain in Seattle struggled to grow. It had six locations for over 15 years. Then, in 1987, Howard Schultz took the reins of Starbucks and turned it into an empire. Today, it operates more than thirty thousand locations for fifty million daily visitors. This success highlights the importance of the booster. In many companies, this role is filled by the VP of Sales, whose mission is to scale a business’s products on a large scale.

5. The Strategist – Pilot to the Future

The strategist is often a missing profile in many organizations. They are proactive, analytical, and decisive in setting objectives, measuring performance, and anticipating market trends.

In 2008, Facebook was a growing social network generating significant traffic, but it posted losses of $130 million in 2007 due to operational inefficiencies and a weak business model. Enter Sheryl Sandberg, a brilliant strategist who joined Mark Zuckerberg and played a crucial role in tripling profits and multiplying the company’s valuation fivefold within three years. To scale successfully, a Chief Scale Officer or a similar profile is needed to guide the company into the future.

6. The Ambassador – Increases the Visibility of the Company

This profile develops partnerships, expands the company’s network, and builds brand awareness. The ambassador’s role has grown considerably in recent years, as seen with Tifani Bova at Salesforce or Nancy Kramer at IBM.

In 2012, Canva—a small Australian startup—had only 20 employees. Guy Kawasaki, appointed Chief Evangelist, helped raise the company’s profile, contributing to its exponential growth. By 2016, Canva had grown to 200 employees and saw a tenfold increase in valuation.

7. The Execution Manager – Runs the Operation

Many remember the famous leaders, but behind every great success story is an exceptional “number two.” In the commando world, nothing can be accomplished alone, and the same goes for entrepreneurship. The CEO who does every job is a myth.

Without its extraordinary COO, Google wouldn’t have become a unicorn. Susan Wojcicki, dubbed “the most important Googler ever hired,” implemented the operational strategy that turned Google into a household name. The execution manager ensures that strategy becomes reality.

8. The Perfectionist – Refines and Improves Deliverables

Many leaders take pride in having several of the key profiles on their team, and they should. But sometimes, what stands in the way of scaling is a lack of attention to detail. The perfectionist ensures excellence when others might settle for good.

Steve Jobs embodied this profile when he returned to Apple in 1997. He obsessively refined every aspect of Apple’s products, from the sleek design of the iPod to the seamless integration of iPhones, setting a standard that revolutionized the tech world.

9. The Expert – Brings Technical Expertise

In my early entrepreneurial days, I quickly learned the power of having an expert on the team. During project pitches, the presence of a technical expert could make or break the deal. Ittai Artzi, a former head of the intelligence services’ technology department, was our secret weapon. His expertise and authority lent credibility to our pitches, helping us secure deals with top clients.

The expert, often in the role of CTO, embodies the technical expertise needed to gain trust and ensure your company stays ahead of competitors.

How Do We Proceed Concretely?

When I’ve shared this model with entrepreneurs, three common questions arise:

1. What about people with multiple roles? While it’s tempting—and sometimes necessary—to wear multiple hats in the early stages, it’s crucial to recognize when this approach becomes a liability. As the business grows, the faster you can transition from playing multiple roles to filling these essential positions with experts, the more effectively you can scale.
2. In what order should we recruit these profiles? Recruitment should align with the three phases of scaling. The first phase—achieving product-market fit—requires the visionary, builder, and coordinator. The second phase, which focuses on structuring the business model and building a sales machine, calls for the strategist and booster. Finally, in the long-term growth phase, the ambassador, execution manager, and perfectionist are crucial to ensuring sustainable success.
3. What if we don’t have the funds to hire all these roles? In times of budget constraints, focus on tackling one priority at a time. Wearing too many hats is a short-term necessity, but it’s important to make strategic hires when you’re ready. For example, in 2019, the founder of CHD had to step away from multiple projects to focus on solving data quality issues, wearing the expert hat for one quarter. This focus paid off, as it allowed the company to retain key clients.

Essential Cohesion

These profiles only make sense if they form a cohesive group. Just as in sports, the addition of individual superstars doesn’t guarantee team success—scaling up requires strong team spirit. If you are responsible for building such a team, keep in mind that certain values are essential to guarantee its performance. That will be the focus of the next chapter.

Things to Remember:

These nine key profiles distinguish an exceptional team from a good team:

1. The visionary, designer of a solution to a problem
2. The builder, architect of that solution
3. The coordinator, who ensures constant alignment with customer needs
4. The booster, capable of reproducing large-scale commercial success
5. The strategist, master of long-term success
6. The ambassador, driver of visibility and partnerships
7. The execution manager, responsible for operational success
8. The perfectionist, guardian of user experience and product quality
9. The expert, technical authority embodying business expertise

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