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Lead from any seat
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How a Lead-From-Any-Seat Culture Makes a Difference

June 14, 2021

Are all of your employees comfortable leading when they feel the urge to do so? By de-emphasizing job titles and energizing your employees to lead, you’ll inject creativity in your ideation and problem-solving brainstorms. The more ideas you have on the table, the better off your business will be. 

We were excited to welcome Kara Jorvig, founder and CEO of Allegro Group, onto our Benefits podcast to share why she’s passionate about a lead-from-any-seat culture. Keep reading to learn the benefits or watch our episode below. 

Listen now or subscribe!

The benefits of leading from any seat

Your employees want to make a difference. And part of the value in creating a purpose-driven culture is helping your employees see the connection between their contributions and the end result. By inviting all employees to be a part of the conversation when they have something to offer, you’re helping them experience that connection. 

“We want to make an impact,” Jorvig said. “We want to make a difference. We want to contribute. We want to be heard. Leading from any seat allows people that opportunity.” 

When employees feel better about work, it boosts retention, productivity and loyalty. Increasing any or all of these will also help you create a culture where your employees are your best recruiting advocates. 

Technical experience vs. leadership

Jorvig points to a few leadership qualities that are pretty universally shared, including: 

  • Ambition
  • Work ethic
  • Energy
  • Passion
  • Expertise

An important piece to consider, though, is having language in place that addresses leadership competencies. Jorvig added that technical experience is very different from leadership competencies. High-performing teams have both. 

“The leaders that I work with and admire and have studied with over the years, they’re very intentional about muscle building,” she said. “Developing competencies to help scale their leadership, to help scale their teams, and to help impact business overall on strategy, performance, and profitability.”

How do you start implementing this culture?

Jorvig said an organization’s culture needs to start at the top, led by the CEO and C-suite leadership team who then create an environment for buy-in across the organization. 

“For any type of culture … I think it starts at the top,” Jorvig said. “The power of culture is if you have a leader who has shared values and alignment, and there’s a shared vision of what we want this culture to be, that’s where the conversation starts.”

If you’re not the CEO or in another C-suite position, it is hard to make significant shifts in organizational culture on your own. Still, you can control your own actions and influence every day. 

“I’m pretty passionate about taking ownership of our development versus waiting for someone to create the path for us,” Jorvig said. 

To learn more about Allegro Group, visit its website or follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram

Check out our Benefits show page and subscribe to Benefits wherever you find your favorite podcasts. 

The information in this blog post is for educational purposes only. It is not legal or tax advice. For legal or tax advice, you should consult your own counsel.

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