[7 June 2021] Day 7 of the fmco* in Malaysia.

We’ve seen this kind of organisation chart being drawn all the time. The leader is always at the top. Yeah, I’ve used it too. But in practise, it should be upside-down. What sort of leadership will put themselves at the bottom?

The service mindset and the organisation chart.

I first heard of the upside-down organisation chart from my former mentor at work. He was our CEO in a public-listed company. It made such an impression on me that I strived to practise it when my turn came to be a leader.

The traditional organisation chart shows authority level mostly. It shows where the buck stops ultimately. But operationally, the mindset can be different. If each leader turns the organisation chart upside down, the leader will see himself/herself as a service provider.

At the top of the organisation chart are the people who are most important. They are the ones who are customer-facing and the ones who keep the company centred on the customers. The rest of the organisation are there to support these important contributors. Once you see it this way, you will always keep your eyes on the company’s reason of being.

Most important aspect of leadership – Stewardship

There are many aspects to successful leadership in such an arrangement.

The first one is the concept of Stewardship. This leader is the steward for all of the organization’s resources. This includes materials assets as well as talent assets. He/She is ultimately responsible for planning and managing resources for the health and growth of the organisation, its employees and other stakeholders. Whether you head the whole organisation, or a section of it, the same applies for your area of influence.

Stewardship is a funny thing. You cannot learn it from a book. It has to come from the heart.

It’s good to remember that responsibility and accountability goes hand-in-hand. If you cannot be accountable, don’t accept the responsibility.

That’s all for today. I’ll be writing on the other aspects soon. Stay tuned.

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About the Author: Gina Phan is a consultant and trainer with Zinfinity Consulting. She currently conducts courses in workplace performance skills. Click here to contact her, follow her on Facebook or connect with her on Linkedin.

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#organisationchart #leadership #servantleadership #stewardship
#trainergina #ginaphan #gp

(Feature Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

*fmco stands for Full Movement Control Order.