Hurdling hierarchy

Often people are afraid to reach out to those above them in the hierarchy or in a different team, even if it is the best solution to their situation.

In this excellent article , Kevin Yien gives his experience of dealing with hierarchy and communication. He recounts that when he started at Square he reached out to everyone - being new, he didn’t know any better; and the general response was positive with people willing to help.

When he moved to a new company and a more senior role he found that those a few layers below him in the hierarchy viewed him as “off limits” and were afraid to reach out to him. He resolved this by letting everyone know that:

If someone needed something to get their job done, they should not only feel comfortable but obliged to contact whomever they needed

He also asked people to let him know if they ever feel like they have to go through someone to get their job done.

Our company is relatively small - currently about 25 people. Whenever someone joins, one of the first things they have to do is to organise calls with as many people in the company as they can - and in particular those above them in the hierarchy - including the CEO. The aim is to have an initial conversation, which doesn’t have to be about work, to break that barrier and to make those people approachable. They should feel like they can reach out at any point to talk to them if required.

We also make sure it is the new person organising the calls. If they can organise the call once then they should be able to organise it again in the future. And I say “call”, as we mostly work remote. It would work just as well if it involved organising a meeting.

And despite the discomfort organising the calls, the overwhelming feedback from those doing it is that it is a good thing and they are really glad they did it.

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