The Masiello Group: Creating Space for Team Decisions & Group Wisdom
Amanda Adkins, CFO & COO of The Masiello Group, is on a journey that never ceases to amaze her. Since the beginning of her Shared Leadership Journey with us, she has experienced the value of sharing power and how the commitment to become a "developmental learning organization" shifts company culture as a result.
From the "ah-ha" moments during team meetings to the groundbreaking institutional transformations, The Masiello Group is a testament to the value of The Shared Leadership Journey and its outcomes: collective wisdom. Shared leadership starts when every member of an organization feels that their voice matters.
"When we step out of expert mode, we see that the genius is always in the room, and we unlock our collective wisdom," says Amanda of the culture shift.
For Amanda, one of the most potent changes she has witnessed on her Shared Leadership Journey is healthier communication across the organization.
"Knowledge used to be trapped in pods," says Amanda. "Leaders felt that they needed to know everything and that they couldn't be vulnerable with others in the organization as they sought solutions to complex problems," says Amanda. "However, our Shared Leadership Journey has demonstrated the value of seeking feedback and working cross-functionally across our organization."
Over the last two years, The Shared Leadership Journey has taught Amanda the importance of working together across departments and offices-- no small task for a company with 80+ employees, 600+ agents and brokers, and 35 offices across three states. However, according to Amanda, one of the keys to unlocking the internal gold mine of wisdom is cross-departmental discussions and open dialog that champion vulnerability.
"When we dialogue together, we problem-solve together. Teams—people with various roles across different parts of the organization—hold the knowledge and group intelligence. It's just amazing what flows when the window is open," Amanda shares.
Group intelligence—and the direct impacts of sharing leadership-- showed up strong in a recent hiring decision. Amanda created a committee to help lead the hiring for a critical new role among their business support team. After an extensive planning and interview process, the committee narrowed their search to two internal candidates but couldn't decide between them. Neither felt like a perfect fit, and the committee fell into a split opinion, both camps digging in their heels for their preferred candidate. Either choice would leave one group of stakeholders feeling unrepresented.
Feeling the pressure to "be the boss with the answer," Amanda wrestled with how to handle this decision. Instead of rushing to an opinion, Amanda walked with the dilemma until the committee reconvened to finalize their selection. Even then, she still didn't know what to do. Instead of giving in to the pressure or forcing an executive choice, Amanda decided to choose vulnerability.
"Team, I don't know what to do," she expressed. "We are divided between the two candidates, and a majority rules vote doesn’t feel right. What do you think? Where do we go from here?" She opened the decision back up to the team—and then paused.
At that moment, a person within the committee who had not been considered raised their hand and said they thought they were the best candidate for the job – even though they weren’t an official candidate. Enabled by the culture of open communication, the committee shook off their initial shock to the news, went back to the drawing board, and decided that the third candidate was, in fact, the ideal candidate. Amanda and the committee quickly pivoted to recreate a fair interview process and to have transparent conversations with the other two candidates. In the end, the candidates agreed that the committee had selected the right person for the role and was delighted with the outcome.
By leaning into vulnerability and prioritizing the group wisdom, Amanda created space for the right decision—and the right candidate for the job-- to emerge.
"The Shared Leadership Journey is trusting that the right things will come in if you just create the space," reflects Amanda.
We are honored to support Amanda and The Masiello Group on their Shared Leadership Journey. Together, we are co-creating new ways of hiring, communicating, decision making, and relating. And that's just the beginning. The Masiello Group launches a 16-week virtual Shared Leadership Journey this fall for more than 80 employees. We look forward to sharing more about their cultural transformation.
Is sharing leadership and power disruptive? Yes. Does it require constant care and commitment to the journey? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Read more about Shared Leadership Framework™️ and about The Masiello Group's commitment here. If your team is ready to dive in with us, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch!