Is it realistic to build a leaderless organization?
I thought I’d give it a go with my new company. Inspired by Rod Beckstrom’s The Starfish and The Spider, my vision was to build a "starfish" culture. This meant many things: no hierarchy; decentralized, values-based decision making; replacing leaders with catalysts who inspire others to take action; and happiness and personal fulfillment first, then productivity second.
I founded my third business in January 2007 after a two-year sabbatical. Establishing the dream company culture from the very beginning was a priority, even before having a business plan.
With over 10 years of lessons learned in previous companies, from day one we did two things:
- Identified the personal and business values of each team member and aligned them with the company values
- Established a project-oriented culture with no set working hours
During a conversation with Rod Beckstrom at the EO Global Leadership Conference (GLC) in Dubai this past May, I asked him to differentiate a successful peer group from a weak peer group. Based on that conversation, I now believe that there are many key learnings that can be applied to a company culture. I’m now in the process of implementing many of these strong points so that our company can be even more successful:
Characteristics of a Strong Peer Group
- Common vision
- Compassion
- Formed by a catalyst
- Organic
- Able to give up control
- Volunteer/support
- Passionate
- No expectations
- Energetic
- Confidential
- Sharing
- Flat
- Equal status
- Non-judgmental
- Listening culture
- Peer to peer
- Independent
Characteristics of a Weak Peer Group
- Hierarchy
- Prioritization
- Judgments
- Expectations
- Power
- Display of wealth
- Lack of execution
- Press leaks
- People taking credit
- Failure to do things
- Ego
- Ranking
- Grading
- Control
When hiring our first employees, we asked questions such as, "What are you passionate about?" and "What do you want to achieve in life?" and "What are your personal and professional dreams?" and "What is your purpose in life?"
After hearing their answers, we made a decision based on whether or not our dreams were aligned. The foundation of my company was built on passion and dreams; we didn’t want to hire people who were simply looking for a job.
StarfishEmpathy was key. Understanding what employees were going through in their lives made a big difference. I found myself saying things like, "I know it’s important for you to spend more time with your fiancé, and since he travels a lot, feel free to travel with him and work from the hotel."
The employee was flabbergasted that I would even make such a suggestion, and she was grateful that I was so flexible and understanding.
I made a point to ask my employees questions like, "Since we’re a startup, I realize that financial security is important for you because you have a family. How can we minimize the risk on your behalf?" Questions like that make a big difference.
Another thing I’ve learned? Deliver what you promise. Somebody once said to me, "Who you are shouts so loudly that I can’t even hear what you’re saying." I have experienced more than my fair share of lip service over the years, so I made a promise to fulfill every word that came out of my mouth. Why did I make this decision from the very beginning? Because every stakeholder has to feel like they are a winner.
My favorite philosophy: Be a TEAM— Together Everyone Achieves More.
Email Maria today to learn how you can build your own successful leaderless organization.