02 — The operating model

Five pillars. One system.

Each pillar tackles a real reason why people suffer and results stall. They work as a system, but trying to fix everything at once guarantees nothing changes. The diagnosis sets the priority.

Shared purpose

The most powerful multiplier.

A shared why that gives meaning to everyone's work and guides every decision. When strategy and day-to-day work are connected, effort stops being obedience and becomes commitment.

“Those who have a why to work can bear almost any how.” — Viktor Frankl

2.7x

more likely to stay when work has purpose

World Happiness Foundation

18%

find purpose in their work, even though 70% look for it there

McKinsey

Courageous leadership

The factor that moves the needle most.

Leaders who deeply believe in the purpose and defend it with actions. They don't control: they create the environment where people can do their best work.

“The aim of leadership is not merely to supervise, but to remove the barriers that rob people of pride in their work.” — W. Edwards Deming

70%

of the variance in team engagement depends on the manager

Gallup

+60%

more stress in teams with ineffective managers

Gallup 2025

Trusting teams

No fear, full accountability.

Psychological safety, no fear of failure, high autonomy and high accountability. Teams that decide close to the problem and learn from every failure, with a culture of candid, continuous feedback (Radical Candor) in every direction.

“Trust is the foundation of great teams. And it isn't built by pretending to be infallible, but by admitting vulnerability.” — Patrick Lencioni

team performance factor: psychological safety

Google · Project Aristotle

-40%

satisfaction among professionals without perceived autonomy

Deci & Ryan

Existential flexibility

Reinvent yourself before you're forced to.

It is the will to make a deep strategic change. If you're not willing to blow up your own company, the market will do it for you. Organisations able to question their model and adapt to stay in the game.

“Existential flexibility is the capacity to initiate an extreme disruption to a business model or strategic course to more effectively advance a Just Cause.” — Simon Sinek

10.4x

more predictive is toxic culture than pay in attrition

MIT Sloan Management Review

3.68x

stock market return of the best companies to work for

FTSE Russell

Operating model

Where purpose becomes results.

Ideas are easy. Execution is everything: flow, focus and metrics that matter. Self-sufficient teams, with no bureaucratic dependencies between product, technology and business, and reviews driven by data instead of blame.

“Ideas are easy. Execution is everything.” — John Doerr

-66%

Lead Time for Changes at Adevinta Spain

DORA metrics

27%

of time is lost to unproductive bureaucracy

Gary Hamel · HBR

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