Improving Your Management Style via Organizational Fitness
It’s Thursday, and we could all use a little boost at work so let’s skip the coffee, and introduce something ground-breaking, new, and maybe even a little crazy:
After last week's very personal newsletter about my dad's dating advice (yes, that really happened), I figured I should pivot to something a bit more... professional. You know, before you all start thinking I only write about fluff (that’s fun too) and my dad (who I adore)…
As an aside, if you’re looking for 10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings or just laugh, let’s never forget Sarah Cooper’s wisdom in this 11-year-old-but-still-relevant-article.
While we've been diving deep into Mental Fitness lately, I realized that I've been teasing this concept of "Organizational Fitness" without really unpacking it as the “corporate” folk say…
So today, let's fix that.
When I first started managing, I was downright terrible at it. Yes. You heard me. I felt like a kid in a suit… pretending to “do the manager thing.” I was asking questions in what I thought was the Socratic method, but my team experienced it as micromanaging. My attempts to help them set goals felt like endless reprioritization to them, and my jokes weren't funny—which was SHOCKING … because… I’m funny. Right!? RIGHT!?!?!??!
After a few months of this, I thought that managing—not to mention building a team that was high-functioning—felt impossible, especially in a place growing faster than weeds in a swamp!
So as you know, I went to MIT to build a model that would help me (and other leaders) build great companies.
Enter: My 4-part Organizational Fitness Model - the framework I spent years building and validating at and after my time @ MIT. Think of it as a fitness tracker for companies, except instead of counting literal steps, it's measuring whether your organization is taking action on the metaphorical steps that actually helps employees thrive (wild concept, I know).
Why should you care?
This model is designed to help organizations figure out what systems they need to improve so that employees feel good, customers feel good, and everyone wins. It's like a domino effect, but in reverse—instead of everything falling down, everything builds up (does that make any sense? I’m in Germany now and quite jetlagged so stay with me).
This is crucial for leaders, managers and anyone really who works...anywhere. It's the difference between constantly battling organizational resistance just to implement a fraction of your vision, versus actually leading and enabling success while having time to think strategically about competitive advantages. So you can either exhaust yourself fighting internal friction, or you can build systems that amplify your efforts and free you to focus on what truly matters for the company (and your) edge.
The model pulls together three key elements that every leader (especially those in services businesses—where people are your “machine”) should be managing when building strong foundations for growth: 1. the employee journey, 2. organizational processes, and 3. a solid leadership framework.
And just like a good physical fitness routine has many different elements that create a strong body, there are four core components that make an organizationally fit company:
Clear Expectations: Organizations need shared understanding of direction, priorities, and success metrics. This means establishing clear vision, mission, purpose, and values that people can actually use to make decisions, setting goals that don't change every quarter when leadership gets excited about a new strategy, clarifying expected behaviors, and defining priorities that are actually prioritized—not everything labeled as "urgent."
Solid Foundations: The basic infrastructure and support systems that enable work to happen effectively, even when people are out sick, on vacation, or when unexpected changes occur. This includes ensuring employees have both the practical resources like breaks, 1:1 support, recognition, basic pay, and emotional support needed to perform their roles successfully (even George Costanza needed this).
Communication & Accountability Mechanisms: Structured systems for information flow, safe feedback exchange, and progress tracking that create transparency and shared responsibility. This involves establishing regular touch points, clear escalation paths, and processes that help teams stay aligned and address issues before they become crises.
Creating an Environment for Progress: Conditions that enable continuous learning, development, and advancement where people can grow their skills, build meaningful relationships, and see clear paths forward in their careers. This goes beyond hoping people will figure it out on their own and instead provides intentional support for both professional and personal growth.
Here's the thing: companies that hit their goals work on ALL four of these areas, constantly. They're not picking favorites like choosing between cardio and strength training - they're doing the full workout.
When I was doing my research, I got obsessed with “complex adaptive systems.” Fancy term, simple concept: companies aren't static entities gathering dust like that exercise bike in your garage or storage. They're constantly changing, evolving, adapting. So instead of trying to build perfect, unchanging systems (spoiler alert: they don't exist), it's about managing these ongoing, ever-shifting variables.
What's really cool about this framework is its versatility. It's the map, compass, and flashlight all rolled into one. You can use it at the organizational level, team level, or even individual level. It's like a Swiss Army knife for getting unstuck—whether you're running a Fortune 500 company or just trying to figure out your own career path.
Because here's what I really want: I want you to actually USE this framework. After all, the best frameworks aren't the ones that look impressive in PowerPoint presentations. They're the ones that help you stop feeling lost at 3 PM on a Tuesday. For now, just remember:
Everything else is just… the details.
