Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

by Patty McCord

IN BRIEF ▶ The greatest team achievements are driven by all team members understanding the ultimate goal and being free to creatively problem-solve in order to get there. ▶ The strongest motivator is having great team members to work with, people who trust one another to do great work and to challenge one another. ▶ The most important job of managers is to ensure that all team members are such high performers who do great work and challenge one another. ▶ You should operate with the leanest possible set of policies, procedures, rules, and approvals, because most of these top-down mandates hamper speed and agility. ▶ Discover how lean you can go by steadily experimenting. If it turns out a policy or procedure was needed, reinstate it. Constantly seek to refine your culture just as you constantly work to improve your products and services. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER • As you survey your company-wide policies and procedures, ask: What is the purpose of this policy or procedure? Does it achieve that result? • Are there any approval mechanisms you can eliminate? • What percentage of its time does management spend on problem solving and team building? • Have you done a cost-benefit analysis of the incentives and perks you offer employees? • Could you replace approvals and permissions with analysis of spending patterns and a focus on accuracy and predictability? • Is your decision-making system clear and communicated widely?