I have a problem with authority.
Actually, I’ve always had a problem with authority for as long as I can recall.
I grew up in France in the seventies. From a very young age, my whole world gravitated around permissions. If you wanted to do something, you had to ask permission. It got my creative thinking working in overdrive to go around these limitations.
Things got better in my teenage and student years. A sudden wind of freedom made me spread my wings. Everything was within reach. I was invincible! Despite a few constraints – like final exams – it felt so good to explore life and its world of possibilities. No permissions were asked whatsoever.
Then came the army and the first jobs in the corporate world. I felt I was back to square one, living in a polarized world of just two types: the permission seekers and the permission givers.
I realized I had a real problem with authority and hierarchy.
I’ve been lucky, however. It just took one incompetent boss, and soon enough, the rebellious spirit of my student years re-emerged. I decided I’d rather apologize after the fact if things were not doing well than ask for permission upfront for everything.
It doesn’t mean that I recklessly disregarded hierarchy. Still, I managed – in most cases – to create an environment where the boss wasn’t the only constituent.
Let me explain:
By joining forces with my peers and focusing on creating real value for the company, we significantly reduced our dependency on classic hierarchy. The critical thing here was to be proactive and anticipate what the business needed the most.
It worked best when we, as a cross-functional team, realized we were better off uniting our efforts than fighting each other. We were able to set the agenda for our goals. It helped us avoid having the bosses impose their views on us.
The senior executives were driving the vision for the company. That was fine, but we were the ones turning that vision into reality.
It worked wonderfully with most bosses, as they understood the dynamics of modern knowledge work.
A few of them didn’t get it, however. That’s when our unity across the different functions played a crucial role.
If we had a conflict with the boss, he had to impose his views, not on one but on many team members. He was in a position of weakness.
He’d soon realize the enormous task of having to fight determined and united subordinates who were truly helping the business. Hard to explain to their own boss.
OK, there were a few occasions where it didn’t go well. We weren’t as united as we should have. The boss leveraged our weaknesses. We got stuck with imposed inadequate goals and strategies.
It didn’t last long, though. Either the boss ended up leaving, or I found ways to move on to greener pastures.
So, is this permissionless mindset worth it?
If you want to progress, innovate and challenge the status quo: HELL YES!
That principle applies to every aspect of life. A permissionless mindset allows you to be open to new opportunities and take risks. When you have a permissionless mindset, you don’t let self-doubt or fear of failure hold you back from pursuing your endeavors.
Instead, you believe in your ability to achieve success, no matter what obstacles you may face. This attitude is essential for entrepreneurs and leaders, who must be willing to take risks and experiment with new ideas to find that path to success.
So if you want to drive your agenda, go on and adopt that permissionless mindset.
Ensure you study your environment, primarily if you work in an established organization.
Focus on creating true value for the business, build relationship and alliances across functions, go fast and do it!