There is a misconception that Flat Orgs are democracies, implying that the only way to have democracy in an organization is through a "Flat Hierarchy". It is really more akin to Democracy 1.x and 2.x techniques being imposed within Monarchy Thinking, and it's a very different thing than the emerging Democracy 3.0. When we run an organization through power, everyone's well-being is at risk, including our own, from the top of the hierarchy to the bottom, regardless of the numb

“Everyone believes that they are doing the right thing. Even when they know they are doing something wrong, they believe they are doing wrong for the right reasons.” If you apply this frame to every difficult situation in your life, you will never be able to see the world in the same way again. In this article we cover why fact checking fails, how to get people to want to receive new information, and introduce the “Magic If”.

Is it dangerous to listen if we can’t do anything about it? This article is about quick-and-dirty techniques we can use with zero preparation to convert upset people into problem solvers through active listening and prioritizing problems. People-First Leadership means that the psychology behind how we solve a problem is more important than which solutions we choose.

We don’t really listen to each other. We think we do. Listening seems easy, but our own biology is stacked against us. Listening to understand requires techniques and practice. I share one of those techniques in this article, the “Double Aces” approach.

If things aren’t going as planned, Monarchy Thinking arrives at a single conclusion: remove opponents who are standing in your way. There is one final decision point that we can choose to avoid being the “messenger that gets shot”. It’s a story of Kanbans, obstacles, options, and escalations on one side, versus how to start a “no blame” culture on the other.

Jobs are a leftover from monarchy thinking. Switching to roles provides more flexibility, turns deciders into advocates, and helps monarchs become mentors. It forms the fifth option in a system of checks and balances that allow Democracies and Monarchies to not only work together but also self-correct. Leveraging these decision points we can create environments of guaranteed success, regardless of the size of the project, industry, skill levels, and culture.