Hi Reader,

Ever noticed how too much of a good thing can become a challenge? That's exactly what we've been experiencing lately with self-management.

Picture this: A group of passionate people, each pursuing their expertise with full autonomy. Sounds perfect, right? Well, we started noticing something familiar – a pattern we've seen in countless other self-managing organizations.

We had become like an out-of-tune jazz band. Great musicians playing exciting tunes, but each performing a different song. The very freedom that made us thrive was now creating a subtle form of chaos.

This challenge reveals one of the core tensions in self-management: balancing autonomy with alignment. Too much structure kills creativity and entrepreneurship. Too little creates confusion and inefficiency.

Here's what we learned about fixing this common challenge:

1. Start with honest conversations​
   Instead of implementing top-down solutions (which would defeat the purpose), bring everyone together to discuss what they're seeing. Often, people are already aware of the misalignment but aren't sure how to address it.
2. Look for natural patterns​
   Review where your organization creates the most value. Which projects excite people? Where do you see the most engagement? The patterns often reveal your true north.
3. Create collective clarity​
   Rather than mandating direction, facilitate a process where team members can co-create the path forward. When people help shape the direction, they're naturally more aligned with it.
4. Keep autonomy within guardrails​
   The goal isn't to restrict freedom but to channel it productively. Think of it like a river – banks don't stop the flow, they direct it.

Pure self-management in action: harnessing collective intelligence while respecting individual agency.

The outcome of this process? A much clearer strategic focus to guide our entrepreneurial energy.

Our more focused direction for Corporate Rebels: To be the world's #1 platform for self-managing organizations

No more scattered focus. No more "maybe we should also do this..." or "what if we tried that..." We're going all-in on self-management.

Why? Because that's where our heart is. That's where we see the future of work. That’s what we believe separates the true pioneers.

Our process started a few months ago and is already nicely underway. The energy in the team is palpable.

Some exciting things that have already happened:

• ​Homepage has been upgraded to speak directly to self-managing organizations
• Social media posts more strongly focus on self-management (like this one)
• Polina is doing an amazing job improving our SEO (search engine optimization) scores on topics related to self-management
• Our events and membership platform are getting more targeted too. Just recently, we hosted a community event diving deep into compensation models in self-managing organizations, where several pioneering companies shared their non-traditional approaches.

But that's just the beginning:

• We've got a new book coming out early next year that's all about organizing self-managing organizations (at scale). It's the kind of deep and practical guide many bossless companies are asking for.
• Meanwhile, our database of self-managing organizations keeps growing (900+ and counting). Our mid-term goal is to create detailed case studies for each one – imagine having access to hundreds of real-world examples at your fingertips. We aim to publish the initial database early 2025.
• Emma & Svetla came up with the brilliant idea to build a Corporate Rebels AI tool. Imagine having access to all our knowledge – years of case studies, blogs, handbooks, how-to guides, frameworks, books, interviews, and videos – through an AI chat interface. Need answers about self-management challenges? This tool will tap into our entire knowledge base to help you out.
• To support self-managing organization’s number one challenge – getting people to thrive in a liberated environment – we've just launched the Self-Management Bootcamp. It's not your typical training program – we're focusing on the actual skills, mindset, and behaviors you need to thrive in a self-managed environment.

Even in self-managing organizations, focus is your friend.

After nearly a decade of research across hundreds of progressive workplaces, we've learned that the most successful ones don't try to revolutionize everything at once. They pick their battles. They go deep rather than wide.

For us, that means going all-in on self-management. Not because we had to (things were growing nicely), but because that's where we see the biggest opportunity to fundamentally change how organizations work.

Remember: Even revolutions need a clear direction. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to say "no" to good opportunities so you can say "hell yes" to great ones.

Updates from Corporate Rebels HQ

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

• Our upcoming event in Seville (November 21-22) will reflect this sharpened focus, bringing together the world's most progressive self-managing organizations for two days of intense learning and sharing. We’ve got an incredible line-up of speakers (such as Lisa Gill, Doug Kirkpatrick and Luis Alberto Simoes) and a bunch of exciting, interactive sessions with self-managing organizations from around the world. Just 2 more weeks to go 😍. Wanna join such events? Make sure your organization joins the Rebel Cell network.
• On 24 October we organized an investor brunch in Amsterdam to launch the upgraded version of our investment fund, Krisos. After our highly successful first acquisition, we are bringing in additional funding so we can acquire 4 more companies in the next 12-months. Lovely event with 35 mission-aligned impact investors.
• Last week, 2 cohorts graduated from our 6-week Masterclass.🎉 It’s one of the most rewarding moments of the year, when another group of highly energized and inspired rebels get to work to realize change in their organizations.
• We opened up sales for the first ever cohorts of our Self-Management Bootcamp! Want to be part of the very first cohorts? Enroll now. Do it here.

New article

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

• Realizing A New Economy: Our Vision for Purpose-Driven Private Equity​
  At Krisos, the impact fund we set up to buy companies and transform them into forces for good, we're not just reinventing work. We're reinventing private equity. Why? Because traditional private equity is in need of a serious upgrade. Read more here.​

What inspired us

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

• The Rebel Way
  ​Rebel Energy UK is a truly pioneering self-managed organization. Not just challenging the energy sector, but also challenging conventional management while they’re at it. Their employee handbook is amazing, I’m sure you’ll love it. To learn how to be a rebel in 29½ easy steps, check out their handbook.

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....

Cheers,

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