The danger of scaling up.

The concept of scale seems to work only in one direction: up. Scaling up is synonymous with growth, and growth is synonymous with improvement. Bigger equals better. But what about growth for the sake of growth?

We've all seen the local restaurant that adds another location only to see the quality of its food suffer; the team that pushes its salary cap ever skyward only to realize you can't buy victory; the startup that gets acquired for big bucks only to see its stock lifeless and under autopsy by journalists and industry insiders.

We are growth-obsessed. This blog is no exception. However, growth for the sake of growth often results in no net gain, other than scale. If we are looking to expand -- whether its our businesses, our brains or our consciousness -- it must be done with a purpose.