10x: A solution that is exponentially (“ten times”) better than whatever solution the customer currently uses.
ambidextrous leader: A leader who is both a skilled operator within the existing business and a creator of new businesses; someone who can lead in both Big to Bigger and New to Big.
beachhead customers: A specific customer segment to win over first, before expanding the product or service offerings to the wider world.
cofounder: A member of an Opportunity Area team; an enterprise intrapreneur.
commercial truth: Truth that is supported by evidence, often uncovered by testing and observing customer behavior (“do”) rather than trusting in surveys (“say”).
Executive Sponsor: A senior executive who guides a co-founder team, pushing their thinking, encouraging the rigor of validation work, and removing roadblocks.
External Venture Partner (EVP): An experienced entrepreneur and early-stage investor who brings an outside creator’s independent perspective on startup opportunities to the Growth Board.
Growth Board: The guiding body that’s set up within an organization that can approve, fund, and champion bets. It is, essentially, a venture fund that invests in enterprise entrepreneurs and manages a growth portfolio of bets.
Opportunity Area (OA): An area of growth opportunity discovered at the intersection of new customer behaviors and needs and new technologies and trends.
Ops Team: The group of creative problem-solvers who are responsible for driving and scaling the Growth OS within their organization.
players and promoters: Players are those who are “all-in” in the Growth OS, like co-founders. Promoters are those who are merely involved with the Growth OS, but who are critical in facilitating the work of the players, such as supporting functions like marketing or finance.
proprietary gift: An organization’s unique capabilities that can be leveraged toward growth.
Total Addressable Market (TAM): The amount of the market demand for a product or service that a company can reasonably capture (or “address”).
Total Addressable Problem (TAP): The estimated demand to solve a problem in a radically new way if a hypothetical solution were to exist at an accessible price point.
zombies: Projects that suck up talent and resources because no one at an organization can kill them without navigating difficult politics, facing judgment, or jeopardizing careers.