“Anarchy” - who and what’s really in control of the business?

How many people are in control and heavily influence your business?

Bill Gates was quoted as saying at one point when President of Microsoft, that if they lost 20 of the right people, the entire business would be ruined.

That’s scary.

20 people controlling the fate of your business.

You just have to wonder what that says about all the other employees and how many resources are being wasted or underperforming?

A more important question to ask is: “What controls your business?”

Is it people, rules, or purpose?

Many entrepreneurs and leaders are very control oriented, which leads them to hiring people who are weak and won’t threaten their control.

It causes a continuous ‘dumbing-down’ of the business, and that’s a formula for anarchy.

People who lust for control can be a self-serving cancer to your business.

A cancer where only the few get the rewards at the expense of many employees.

When “the chosen few” control the business, the business rarely achieves high levels of efficiency or innovation.

Because as people gain more control, they become rigid in how they think, feel, and act.

And being rigid usually isn’t the formula for innovation.

Any young entrepreneur who is hungry and wants to win will simply out-compete them by being more agile and resilient when challenged by change and disruption.

They will create new and innovative solutions.

So when the same people are in control of the business for too long, you often have a lot of infighting for resources and everyone eventually suffers.

Other entrepreneurs prefer to document rules for everything.

They believe they can plot success by documenting enough rules.

Because employees simply have to work within the rules and success follows.

But we all know what people like to do with rules - violate them.

And besides, people write rules in a way to protect themselves and not necessarily in the interests of scaling the business.

So you play by their rules or you leave.

And that’s a reason why a lot of companies lose good, talented people.

If your business is controlled by people or by rules, you have a form of anarchy controlling the business.

Anarchy is when multiple power-centers are fighting for control.

Control of people, budgets, resources, and rules.

There is a better way to scale a business.

And that is by having a purpose that drives the business.

A purpose that takes everyone beyond money and power.

A powerful purpose takes them to a place that has meaning and they believe says something about them as a person.

These entrepreneurs work hard to connect employees with the purpose of the company...

It’s like the entrepreneur who wants to make a lot of money.

It’s not the money they want.

It’s what the money gets them that they want.

That’s their purpose.

And the best way for them to achieve that is through a strong company purpose that connects with employees.

In this type of business, employees also get to win as the business scales.

When the purpose of the business unifies owners and workers, it creates power.

And what’s most important is what gets everyone closer to achieving their purpose.

That’s what gives everyone the persistence to overcome the everyday failures that are a part of scaling a business.

Now that’s powerful.

If achieving your company’s purpose connects employees and owners, you have a more powerful company.

And that’s important in times of change and disruption faster than anything we ever imagined.

What’s the best formula for managing anarchy?

A company that is managed  by a combination of highly-talented people, few rules, and is guided by a powerful purpose.

Politics and the rumor mill are quieter.

It’s easy, a powerful Purpose attracts the right people.

When the right people get into the right positions they need fewer rules and they surround themselves with better people, all focused on the Purpose.

Only then can everyone contribute to building a sense of urgency and achieve the purpose.

Which means the business becomes naturally more efficient and innovative.

Everyone wins when the business has the right mix and balance of people, rules, and purpose.