8 reasons why companies succeed

Prosser says, “Real leaders are willing to ‘lead out loud.’ This means displaying vulnerability and asking for and accepting input from your employees so that everyone can contribute to and ‘own’ the company’s strategy for the future. For many leaders it’s scary to let employees see that you don’t have all the answers, but if you want them to commit to making your organization unstoppable, it’s critical.”

Successful companies have leaders who engage employees to help solve problems. 

“Leadership is about stepping out of your comfort zone—getting out of the box,” Prosser says. “Until you recognize that your true value as a leader is in your ability to lead an inquiry into the solutions for your organization (and not try to provide all the answers), you are doomed to repeat your own bad decisions and those of others who came before you. To accomplish that, you have to be willing to listen.”

Successful companies have solidarity among executives, managers, and emplyees. 

“The idea that each employee has something of value to contribute is missing from a patriarchal system,” explains Prosser. “Employees are never allowed to be their fully human selves; instead, a leader’s ego is inflated by marginalizing others.

“On the other hand, when there is relatedness, it’s very easy for an employee to talk to his or her direct supervisor, because that supervisor listens,” he adds. “And there is real solidarity among executives, managers, and employees. If someone needs something, there is no problem with starting a conversation that gets the issue handled. As a result, connectedness helps strengthen the internal and external relationships that are one of a company’s most important assets.”

Successful companies let go of their fears and take risks. 

“Most people are invested in not failing, and they’ve taught all their employees to value that course of action over taking any kind of risks that have the potential to pay off,” says Prosser. “Everyone’s doing it, and it’s costing them on a grand scale. When you set reasonable goals to avoid failure, people will make only a little extra effort—but if goals are unreasonable, people will make real changes in the way they work. Sure, it’s a risk, but in business, risk is the only way to true success.

“In teaching others to let go of their fears about what might happen if they take risks, I’ve seen miracles happen,” he adds. “A professional services firm had an unprecedented 60 percent leap in performance in five months, for example. A creative services group went from a loss of tens of thousands of dollars in one year to a place on the Inc. 500/5,000 list and a more than 40,000 percent increase in net profit during the following years.”

Successful companies embrace chaos. 

“To create an organization of innovation and creativity, you need to allow and even introduce the tension that comes with or causes chaos,” says Prosser. “Systems that are out of equilibrium are forced to explore their space of possibilities, and this leads to new patterns of relationships and structures. An organization that embraces chaos is healthier than one that hangs on to equilibrium, and it can achieve a new level of performance.”

“If you’re a CEO or senior business leader with the potential for impacting the lives of others, you need to become deeply interested in the role you play in driving connectedness into your organization,” says Prosser. “You need to learn about how connectedness, and the lack of it, shapes your employees’ workplace experience and ultimately leads to the successful execution of your vision.”