Every Thursday morning after our daily production meeting, we do something that our team has been calling the “Thursday TED Talks.” It’s a time when an Indigo Ink team member (including Matt and I) teaches us something new — typically work-related topics or thoughtful lessons that inspire all of us. Because the focus is on leadership and personal empowerment, it is not uncommon for a team member to lead us all through some sort of developmental exercise of their choosing. I’ve had people outside our organization ask me how we came up with the idea. The answer isn’t simple. The reality is this has been an evolution that started well over a decade ago.
It was around 15 years ago that I began coming to the realization that Matt and I were in way over our heads regarding our knowledge on how to run, manage, and effectively grow this company we had founded 7 years earlier. (Honestly, we were in over our heads the moment we started this back in 2003, but it’s a good thing we were naive and didn’t know that at the time!) This admission to myself was a turning point in my developmental journey to becoming a better leader and “conscious” businesswoman. It’s a never-ending journey, where it sometimes feels like the more I learn, the less I know! (Maybe an essay for another day…)
One thing that had become clear to me is that running a business is a team sport, and subsequently it makes little sense for all this knowledge and insight to be in Matt’s and my head alone. That’s when I started taking time each week to teach crucial information to a handful of team members who had been given management responsibilities. My role within the company expanded to include coaching and teaching others. While much good came from this time, I began to feel like something wasn’t right—like we were missing a huge opportunity by limiting who had access to this information. That’s when I decided it might be wise to expand this to the entire team.
In late 2020, Thursday leadership development talks were born. At this stage, it really was “The Liz Show,” something I was never comfortable with for a variety of reasons. I still felt like something wasn’t quite right – like we were missing an opportunity. Matt and I had been ruminating for years about how to increase team member engagement in problem solving and trying new ideas. We had been striving to move away from the traditional (patriarchal) top down “manager knows best” style of leadership we had been accustomed to. I had been giving a lot of thought to the idea that “Diverse Ecosystems are Healthier and more Sustainable,” something Ari Weinsweig has shared in his blog Natural Law of Business No 17. In that context, the “Liz Show” seemed inconsistent with the ends we were trying to create (for more on this idea, see my blog entry from last year “The Good Work Journey”). Looking at the problem through that lens made it clear we needed to open up both the learning and the teaching (and the topics) to the entire team, too. Krista Tippet, who hosts the podcast “On Being,” said a few years back “If there’s one thing I’ve heard in these 20 years of talking to people who found ways to shift some part of the world on its axis, it’s all that change happens in the margins. It’s not happening above the radar, in the headlines.” This idea has stuck with me and has not only made me more conscious of paying attention to the edges, but has broadened my perspective on what effective leadership looks like and who is a leader.
We’ve opened up the teaching and learning to the entire team for over 3 years now. To say new life has been breathed into this meeting would be an understatement. The diversity of people’s perspectives, topics and ideas that have been shared has been genuinely refreshing and energizing. Topics have ranged from color calibrations on the HP Indigo Press to lessons learned from outside volunteer service to even a recent fun game of phone tag to demonstrate the complexities of effective communication… and much more. We’ve all learned a lot.
When I’ve talked to other business leaders outside our organization, one of the most consistent questions I get is “How do you get people to agree to this? Aren’t most people too uncomfortable?” The truth is we don’t force anyone do this and sometimes people do decide to opt out if they are too uncomfortable. However, by encouraging everyone to consider it, and believing in their ability to teach us all something, we’ve found that most people do eventually choose to share. One of the most rewarding experiences for me here at Indigo has been seeing people who, though uncomfortable, decide to give it a try. This whole thing has been a beautiful thing to witness and be a part of.
Recently an out of town client visited the shop and I was explaining to her what the Thursday team meeting was all about. Her response was “I want to do that! You should consider inviting customers too!” Perhaps there is yet another evolution in the future?
—
P.S. Speaking of alternative ways of working and running a company, we are proud to be featured (an abbreviated version of this story in particular) in Meghan French Dunbar’s newly released and “best-selling” book “This Isn’t Working: How Working Women Can Overcome Stress, Guilt, and Overload to Find True Success.”
Check it out!
“A must read for anyone serious about fixing the broken leadership model and building a better future for us all.”
– Rose Marcario, former CEO, Patagonia & Partner, ReGen Ventures
