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An excerpt from the Inspiring Action Manifesto

We will not avoid the boss. We will not seek to set up our own fiefdom inside of the boss’s kingdom.

We will use the boss. If we have a founder still in charge, we will recognize that we are rich. Rich in clarity of vision. Rich is simplicity of organization.

If we but love the vision, everything else is available to us.

Have better ideas in support of that vision. Hatch better plans to realize the vision. Execute with great positive effect on that vision.

And you win.

You have something 99% of workers don’t have. Something priceless. You know who decides. You know where the buck stops.

If we report to the CEO, COO, CMO or similarly senior team member, we will consider this person as potentially the most powerful member of our team.

We will never fail to use this power when we can. We will pull this person in. We will choose radical collaboration rather than cautious avoidance.

Of course, we respect that the boss is busy. We understand that we cannot plunge the boss into a morass if minutia. When the boss declines our invitation, we are gracious and understanding – up to a point.

After that point, we must resell the boss on involvement. There are things only the boss can accomplish, and if those things are crucial to the next level of growth, then they ought to be top priorities. We make it as quick and as direct as it can be, but we pull the boss in to get the obstacle unblocked, the connection made or the problem solved.

We use everything we’ve got to build our brand and business, starting with the boss.