What if your employees were in charge? What might happen?
One of my favorite historical figures is Benjamin Franklin. He was a prolific writer and often made his point by writing in a nom de plume. His favorite option, it seems, was to take an unusual position, and craft a parody to illustrate his point often helping others to think differently. In that vein, I offer you the following:
What If Employees Led the Leaders?
Imagine flipping the workplace script: employees—those on the front lines—take the reins, and leaders take their cues. How might decisions change? What could the business achieve with a clearer focus, reduced stress, and better alignment with its core customer?
Strategy
What Leaders Get Wrong: Too many strategies are vague, filled with jargon like “synergy” or “disruption.” Employees can’t execute what they don’t understand.
Better Approach: Employees would demand clear, actionable strategies. Instead of abstract visions, they’d expect a plan everyone can articulate and contribute to. Strategies described like “Wheels Up” or “Flat-packed furniture” or “Simply amazing and amazingly simple” would be the standard.
Execution Standards
What Leaders Get Wrong: Leaders often apply inconsistent or unclear standards, creating confusion and frustration.
Better Approach: Employees would set clear, simple standards for everyone, including leaders. This consistency would drive efficiency and reduce unnecessary stress.
Meetings
What Leaders Get Wrong: Leaders frequently call unproductive meetings, wasting time and energy.
Better Approach: Employees would cut meetings to the essentials—focused, outcome-focused, actionable, and only when necessary. Time would be spent where it matters: solving real problems.
Life Balance – Work, Leisure, Family, Friends, Health, etc.
What Leaders Get Wrong: Leaders expect employees to work around the clock while taking extended retreats or vacations without accountability.
Better Approach: Employees would ensure balance applies to everyone, promoting mutual respect and sustainable productivity.
Compensation
What Leaders Get Wrong: Leaders often tie their pay to perceived authority, not results, creating resentment and disengagement.
Better Approach: Employees would link pay to value. Leaders could earn no more than 10 times the lowest-paid worker, ensuring fairness. Bonuses would reward behaviors that directly impact results—solving customer problems, creating a safe workplace, and driving progress.
Downsizing
What Leaders Get Wrong: During tough times, leaders often lay off front-line workers first, weakening the business’s ability to serve customers.
Better Approach: Employees would prioritize retaining roles that deliver value to customers, starting cuts at the top where inefficiencies are greatest.
Vision
What Leaders Get Wrong: Leaders often present vague aspirations, leaving employees disconnected from the bigger picture.
Better Approach: Employees would expect a vivid, actionable vision. Instead of “embracing innovation,” they’d aim for clarity, like “a computer on every desk” or “send a man to the moon.”
The Lesson:
When leaders misstep in these areas, the result is unnecessary stress, low morale, and subpar customer solutions. Employees don’t need leaders to be perfect—they need them to be clear, fair and focused on outcomes that serve the team and customer.
How would your employees lead if the roles were reversed? The answer might reveal where to start improving today.