What if the biggest risk to performance isn’t talent — but the way we organize authority?
Re-reading Frederic Laloux’s "Reinventing Organizations" reminded me of two leadership lessons that feel increasingly practical, not philosophical.
1️⃣ First, self-management is not “less leadership”.
It’s leadership expressed through clear rules of engagement: who decides, how decisions are made, and how we resolve tension quickly. When authority sits only at the top, the organization becomes slow. When authority is designed into roles and processes, the organization becomes responsive.
2️⃣ Second, purpose works when it becomes a daily compass, not a slogan.
Laloux’s idea of an “evolutionary purpose” challenges the traditional habit of over-planning. Senior leaders don’t lose direction — they shift from controlling every move to building the conditions where teams can sense reality fast and act responsibly.
👉 For me, the takeaway is simple: our job is not to control people — it’s to design a system that makes good decisions inevitable.
1️⃣ First, self-management is not “less leadership”.
It’s leadership expressed through clear rules of engagement: who decides, how decisions are made, and how we resolve tension quickly. When authority sits only at the top, the organization becomes slow. When authority is designed into roles and processes, the organization becomes responsive.
2️⃣ Second, purpose works when it becomes a daily compass, not a slogan.
Laloux’s idea of an “evolutionary purpose” challenges the traditional habit of over-planning. Senior leaders don’t lose direction — they shift from controlling every move to building the conditions where teams can sense reality fast and act responsibly.
👉 For me, the takeaway is simple: our job is not to control people — it’s to design a system that makes good decisions inevitable.