Hi Reader,

It was a crisp November morning in one of Seville's most iconic locations exactly two weeks ago. Inside a historic bullring – a place where tradition has reigned for centuries – a different kind of revolution was brewing.

One hundred people. Fifty companies. Fifteen countries. All gathered not to witness the spectacle of bulls and matadors, but to challenge something equally entrenched in our culture: traditional management.

The irony of our location wasn't lost on us.

An arena built to showcase hierarchy, control, and dominance now hosted those working to dismantle these very principles in modern organizations.

The Real Venta de Antequera has seen its share of history – royalty, bullfighters, poets. But last week, it witnessed something different.

When pioneers find their people

As Lina from Lithuania observed while we gathered for a group photo in the ring: "I found my tribe."

She's right, but it's more complex than that.

What unfolded over those two days wasn't just about finding kindred spirits. It was about the raw, unfiltered exchange of battle stories from the frontlines of organizational transformation.

During speed dating sessions, CEOs who'd abolished traditional hierarchy traded war stories with transformation leaders who'd eliminated fixed salaries.

A Japanese tech firm's radical approach to decision-making sparked intense debate with a Belgian manufacturing company's experimental governance structure.

The most compelling conversations weren't about theory – they were about the mess, the struggles, the failures, and the unexpected breakthroughs.

Marina, a rebel from Barcelona, put it this way: "The world felt smaller, more united, and full of hope."

But this wasn't naive optimism. It was the clear-eyed hope that comes from seeing others successfully navigate the same storms you're facing.

The deadly traps of self-management

Lisa Gill exposed the deadly traps of many self-managing organizations: the extremist rejection of all leadership ("Anything resembling hierarchy is forbidden!"), the exhausting cycle between enthusiasts and skeptics, and perhaps most insidiously, the prison of politeness where conflict avoidance masquerades as harmony.

The self-management rollercoaster

Luís Alberto Simões from Mindera delivered what might have been the most honest talk about self-management I've heard. No sugar-coating, just raw truth about the personal rollercoaster we all ride – those moments of hitting the wall, questioning everything, wondering if we're failing at self-management. His vulnerability cut through the usual corporate veneer.

Navigating complexity through simplicity

Then there was Doug Kirkpatrick, who, in characteristic style, stood perfectly still on stage and delivered Morning Star's timeless wisdom with devastating simplicity: optimize for your core principles (they only have two: never use force, and keep your commitments), create space for natural leadership by removing coercive force, and focus relentlessly on commitment-making and keeping. "Natural leadership is earned through trust," he reminded us, "not bestowed."

On the ground: An ongoing transformation

Finally, Indaero's transformation story brought theory into reality. The company we acquired last year is breaking records by breaking the mold. Their former CEO, now working in the commercial team, put it perfectly: "You need to be very humble because you lose your power and others increase theirs."

Their journey showed both the promise (faster decisions, impressive results) and the ongoing challenges of transformation – particularly the delicate balance of guiding change without creating new dependencies.

More than just another gathering

In the shadows of that ancient arena, we witnessed something profound: the crystallization of a movement. Not the kind that makes headlines, but the kind that reshapes organizations from the inside out, one experiment at a time.

Want to join next year?

Make sure your organization becomes a member of any of our 23 Rebel Cells. This annual gathering is exclusively for these pioneering organizations. More info can be found here.

Also, I quickly want to thank the sponsors of our gathering in Seville:

• ​Talkspirit​
• ​Peerdom​
• ​HR-ON​

Thanks for your contribution to the global movement of self-managing organizations. On behalf of everyone involved, we appreciate your work!

Updates from Corporate Rebels HQ

Here's a quick overview of everything happening at Corporate Rebels:

• The manuscript of our new book (on how to run a self-managing organizations (at scale)) enters its final phase. The stories and insights from Seville will form a crucial chapter, documenting this pivotal moment in the movement.
• Two days ago, we learned from true pioneers in one our monthly community sessions. Bjarte Bogsnes and Steve Morlidge from the Beyond Budgeting Institute and Mariana Abbate Oterino from Bayer shared how to liberate people by ditching the annual budgeting cycle. The recording is available for members of Corporate Rebels.

New article

A new article has been published on our website earlier this week:

• Fair Pay Through Self-Management: Mindera's Salary Comparison Model​
  Speaking of transformation at scale – last week we published a deep dive into Mindera's radical approach to fair pay. Their 'People Comparison' model shows how a 1,200+ employee organization tackles one of self-management's trickiest challenges: fair compensation without bosses. Want to dig deeper? Check out the full case study here.

What inspired us

Here's something noteworthy we discovered this past week that you’re going to love:

• Mindera’s inspiring handbook
  ​You’ll love this. Far from your typical corporate manual, Mindera’s handbook is filled with gems like "Humans are not 'resources' - What an awful phrase" and its no-nonsense take on hierarchy: "Those who show up and tell other people what to do don't last long." It's a brilliant example of how to document a truly human-first culture. Read it here.

Your weekly challenge

At Corporate Rebels, we believe that small changes lead to big results. That's why we challenge you each week to make a small but significant change. This week....

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Cheers,

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