View your organization as a blob

Organizations are like amoebas—constantly changing, splitting, moving, reshaping, on the brink of multiplying or dying.

It’s useful to consider them this way rather than merely as a multilayered hierarchy. Think of a web of relationships instead of an organized list of titles and responsibilities.

We change our small company’s structure sometimes based on the talent we find. One recent hire came in to replace an outgoing executive. The new guy instantly forged relationships and brought fresh energy to the role. His talents were different than the last guy’s, too, which prompted us to change his job description. We even started a new line of business based on his abilities and work ethic.

If all you have are slots that need to be filled, you might be missing an opportunity to grow and change if you don’t allow your people’s personalities and skills to influence the business.

Of course, this kind of thinking is akin to seeing your company like the weather: unpredictable, seasonal, extreme, full of energy, prone to sudden beauty or darkness.

That’s business.

And life.

Excerpted from Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership, by Tom Harper (DeepWater Books, 2019).