One of the most challenging things about this summer is working together as group CEO. I’ve worked in teams all of my life, and I love teamwork for the diversity in perspective and talent that it enables. However, there’s a big difference between vertical and horizontal structure when it comes to group dynamics. For example, when I was head of the Europe division for Harvard’s International Business Club, I had seven managers reporting to me, and I in turn reported to the club president. We worked together as a group to generate ideas and to divide up tasks, but I was in charge of keeping the division moving forward, organizing the year-long agenda, and making the final decisions. My responsibility was to make sure the group was moving forward and making significant and positive strides towards realizing the club’s greater mission. This also meant that I reported to the club’s president and that if our division was not doing well, I bore the blunt of the responsibility for under-performance. This system of point people equally allocated authority, responsibility, and accountability.
In most corporations in America, the structure is similar: CEO, COO, CFO, and CIO. Typically, the CEO is responsible for the entire firm. The other officers report to him or her and are responsible for their respective areas within the firm: operations, finance, and information technology. Each level of power comes with a proportional level of responsibility.
As CeoInterns, we individually and collectively are the CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and CIOs of 300 Below. We’re not merely responsible for our individual performance but accountable for our group effort and the results they produce. This means that each day, we not only work with how to improve the company, but are also faced with the perpetual challenge of how to best leverage the team’s individual talents without relegating anyone to a specific role. We’re all here to learn about all aspects of running a firm. Yet we come from different backgrounds and have different strengths and weaknesses. The challenge is now to balance learning and growing with effectiveness and performance.
Moreover, as power is evenly distributed so is responsibility diffused. I think there is a subtle level of hesitancy at being overbearing, but this hesitancy cripples our ability to move forward with optimal speed and efficiency. Because no one person is responsible, there is a conflict of interest between appearing tyrannical (both to the team and on camera), fueled by the disincentive of not having individual responsibilities to account for, and the desire to learn as much as possible, to make the most out of this experience, and to bring positive change and impact to 300 Below.
Much of this conflict is a result of our unfamiliarity with each other and with different working styles. While we’re united in our cause and long-term direction, we come from such diverse backgrounds that there’s a natural ramp-up period in which we first and foremost get to know one another. Unfortunately, the short timeframe that we’re working within necessitates a condensation of this process. Already we’ve made significant strides towards group accountability. At our Monday afternoon group session, we agreed to call each other out and to be unafraid of making quick decisions at the expense of appearing autocratic. As Charles put it, “If I walk in without a shirt on looking absolutely stupid, I want you guys to be comfortable enough to call me out immediately and say, ‘Hey man, put on your shirt.’”
In most corporations in America, the structure is similar: CEO, COO, CFO, and CIO. Typically, the CEO is responsible for the entire firm. The other officers report to him or her and are responsible for their respective areas within the firm: operations, finance, and information technology. Each level of power comes with a proportional level of responsibility.
As CeoInterns, we individually and collectively are the CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and CIOs of 300 Below. We’re not merely responsible for our individual performance but accountable for our group effort and the results they produce. This means that each day, we not only work with how to improve the company, but are also faced with the perpetual challenge of how to best leverage the team’s individual talents without relegating anyone to a specific role. We’re all here to learn about all aspects of running a firm. Yet we come from different backgrounds and have different strengths and weaknesses. The challenge is now to balance learning and growing with effectiveness and performance.
Moreover, as power is evenly distributed so is responsibility diffused. I think there is a subtle level of hesitancy at being overbearing, but this hesitancy cripples our ability to move forward with optimal speed and efficiency. Because no one person is responsible, there is a conflict of interest between appearing tyrannical (both to the team and on camera), fueled by the disincentive of not having individual responsibilities to account for, and the desire to learn as much as possible, to make the most out of this experience, and to bring positive change and impact to 300 Below.
Much of this conflict is a result of our unfamiliarity with each other and with different working styles. While we’re united in our cause and long-term direction, we come from such diverse backgrounds that there’s a natural ramp-up period in which we first and foremost get to know one another. Unfortunately, the short timeframe that we’re working within necessitates a condensation of this process. Already we’ve made significant strides towards group accountability. At our Monday afternoon group session, we agreed to call each other out and to be unafraid of making quick decisions at the expense of appearing autocratic. As Charles put it, “If I walk in without a shirt on looking absolutely stupid, I want you guys to be comfortable enough to call me out immediately and say, ‘Hey man, put on your shirt.’”
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