I saw this image, “The Last Supper,” by David LaChappelle, in Barcelona’s excellent Museum Of Contemporary Art (MOCA). LaChappelle wanted to reimagine who would be the Apostles if they were reborn today. As well as thinking the obvious, “This is brilliant,” it started me thinking about modern business management and styles.
Jesus needed his best team around him, and so does the modern business owner. But how appropriate is a model where the business owner is the blinding light, and the top team are his or her disciples? Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Margaret Thatcher might say that didn’t work out too badly for them. St Peter also could attest that the management training he received under that system put his career in good stead afterwards.
Business models taught at MBA schools sound so perfect and easy. In real life, however, an owner, especially a small business owner, must assemble and motivate a team from the limited talent pool available to him or her.
The accompanying text to LaChappelle’s image describes the apostles as originally “misfits and dreamers” who had banded together. That makes me smile when I think fondly about the many different brilliant colleagues and clients I have enjoyed working with. And how very true it is that the best teams are a motley crew of different personalities and skill sets, where the total is greater than the sum of the individual parts.
I also thought of the Vietnam model. In that war, the US officers learned they had to consult with their troops and get an agreement before taking offensive action. Otherwise, they risked getting ‘fragged’.
Today’s leaders operating in a red ocean market must also consult with their top team on strategy, sales, products, and how to respond to market forces. They must obtain their team’s buy-in to their ideas or risk their top talent moving elsewhere or dragging their feet.
My favourite has always been the King Arthur model, in which the owner sits with their team as the first among equals at a round table, working collaboratively towards their common goals.
Like the bible, readers saw the tales of King Arthur and his knights as an ‘operating manual’ for how to conduct themselves. I also see the accountant and business advisor’s role as helping and supporting each of our clients on their quest to achieve the holy grail of achieving their business and personal goals.
What parallels with business models do you draw, and which is your real style instead of your stated style?