“
What would happen if
we stopped controlling
that things we get
“done right” and
started trusting that we
will do the right thing?
Obviously, since they now had offices separate from the staff and
didn’t “have the time to get to know everyone,” they needed a
way to control what was happening “on the field.” Hence, middle
management comes aboard, from such illustrious places as eBay.
Of the 30 people who were with the company when I joined, only
around 10 remained two years later when I left. And of those 10,
only 2 are left today. Even the former founders left.
I know of only a few people from those times that truly enjoyed
being there. I remember the frustration that was voiced on
occasion. People were being laid off, but no one knew why or
what was happening.
During a barbeque, the founders were confronted with frustration
over the lack of transparency. After that, management called a
general meeting and explained (or so they thought) what was
going on. At the end, they asked us “to trust us, we have the best
of the company at heart.”
Nobody ever said “we trust you to have the best of our company
at heart. We trust you to do the right thing, even if that means
speaking out against us and saying No!”
I choose to believe that two factors are more important to the
success or failure of any organization:
Trust and Connection.
Would we be firing people at the first sign of trouble? Would there
be a sea of e-mails sent back and forth in an attempt to “cover
our asses?” How quick could decisions be made? How adaptable
would such an organization be? How creative?
Is it possible to build a billion-dollar company without a single
formalized process and without any structure? Without any layers
of hierarchy?
Conventional wisdom would disagree. And maybe they are right,
for so far, there is all of the above all around us, and it seems to
work. But there are first exceptions. Individuals choosing to say
“Enough!” to working in such an environment, abiding by the rules
the system has been imposing.
I choose to believe that by embracing the power of connection,
investing the time to get to know each other across all “levels of
hierarchy,” we liberate the potential that lies within every one of us.
Want to discover more about your
leadership potential and get a taste
of the power of connection?
Join Giovanni and many other inspiring people
at this years’
Iashington Leadership Seminar in Romania.
www.iashington.com
If we did not have to be scared for our job (aka
livelihoods) or that an opinion or decision will come
back to bite us in the ass (aka getting disconnected
from my colleagues and, ultimately, fired), what would
we do differently?
organiza
tional development
When I am connected to you by common experiences or
conversations that matter; when you know my family; when I
understand what your fears are; when I can confront you with my
desires; when I can say no to you without the fear of
disconnection or damage to our relationship; that’s when trust
becomes the basis of our actions. Can you imagine what an
organization based on these values would look, feel act like?
What would happen if we stopped controlling that things we get
“done right” and started trusting that we will do the right thing?
I do not know if building an organization like that is possible. But I
choose to believe that it is.
If you want to find out more about this, I invite you to contact me
or Beyond Leadership. Let’s connect and discover our f ձ