Avoiding Organizational Failure by Gennady Barsky

How to Avoid Organizational Failure

In a recent article published in Business Insider, Square CEO Jack Dorsey says it’s an “organizational failure” if he has to make a decision. That’s a revolutionary statement and a very interesting idea. Let’s unpack it.

In the article, Dorsey discusses the founding of Twitter and the conflicting egos and visions for the company that eventually motivated each founding member to pursue a different vision.

Dorsey chose to “focus on the fundamentals” and ignore the distractions that can arise.

One of the most “distracting” things for any manager is an untrustworthy team that needs babysitting. Unfortunately, one of the most ego-stroking things any manager can have is a team that ‘needs’ him. That’s a dangerous catch-22 that has derailed many promising managers.

The solution, of course, is a hands-off approach that allows the team to operate independently of the manager. The first step in this process is recruiting a team that not only can function – but enjoys functioning – autonomously. Self-reliance and competency are the base standard all managers should look for in their staff. If their team cannot do their jobs well and solve their own problems, then that team is not adequate to get the job done. The momentary thrill of “saving the day” is (almost immediately) overshadowed by the consequence of having a worker who is either unable or afraid to “make the call.”

According to Dorsey, a CEO that tries to control everything and do everything stifles innovation and stunts the potential growth of his company. The same can be said of a manager who gets in the way of his team’s talents.

If you want the project to be done the best way it can be, hire the right people and encourage them to contribute. Part of that encouragement is giving them a sense of ownership over their area of the process. While it’s true that no single member of the team should have the ability to wreck the entire project, no single member of the team should feel so inconsequential that their inactivity is tolerable.

When your team is either afraid or inept, they will not do even what they know they can do. The result, then, really is an organizational failure. But, take that a step further. If your team does not understand that you expect them to contribute beyond their specific job description, then, that too, will lead to nothing but the status quo. Which, according to anyone who has been to the mountaintop, is nothing more than another word for “failure.�

Gennady Barsky is a real estate mogul who hails from NYC.