Leadership as a platform (team)

A couple of years ago I was involved in utilized the ideas from Team Topologies in reorganizing the consultancy where I work. Recently, Manuel Pais, co-author of Team Topologies, used my company as an example of something we’ve both called Leadership as a Platform. You can see us mentioned here.

I’ve been deeply involved in shifting how we see ourselves—as a platform—and ensuring we maintain that perspective. Instead of treating leadership as a position or a set of management tasks, we emphasize that anyone can take leadership. It’s about stepping up, driving alignment, and enabling others to succeed.

To make this work, we’ve built a dedicated team focused on alignment and leadership as a platform—which we call Team Alignment. Their mission is to provide services that empower our teams and individuals to take the lead while keeping the organization aligned. They cover many of the tasks of a traditional top management group.

Our approach

• Service-Oriented Leadership: We view leadership activities as services, not just tasks. This ensures that all necessary information is accessible and that teams are effectively onboarded into our strategic direction.
• Team Responsibility: Leadership and alignment are collective responsibilities rather than being solely on the shoulders of managers. This fosters a more collaborative and engaged environment.

This approach helps us maintain cohesive strategy, ensuring that everyone at Capra remains aligned and informed.

The Services We Offer

1. Company Strategy

A living Notion page and slide deck accessible to everyone. It covers:

• Who we are: vision, values, and what we do.
• Our product and what we sell.
• Current market understanding.
• Key challenges we foresee.
• Guiding policies and priorities for success.
• Principles of our organizational model.
• This document is continuously updated—always in production, i.e. we just update the documents when we need to.

2. Metrics Board

A Looker Studio dashboard offering insights into our goals, performance, and progress.

3. Monthly Status & Q&A Sessions

We run monthly status sessions covering company economics, key metrics, and priorities. They are similar to a “all hands meeting”, with the key difference in how we view them. It’s informational, and conversational. It’s a service, and we can measure how well it works for our end users.

4. Organizational Map

• Principles and a dynamic perspective of our team-first organizational model.
• A Miro board visualizing our structure and how we operate.
• Support in navigating the organization effectively.

5. Onboarding for New Employees

• Dedicated onboarding sessions covering all these elements.
• Ensures new employees quickly understand our strategy and direction.

Continuous Learning & Iteration

Through these services, we constantly learn and iterate, improving both our leadership platform and our overall operations.

If this approach resonates with you, or if you’re curious to learn more, feel free to reach out!