The ABC Model: Three Layers of a Successful Organisation

In my book Modesty Doesn't Change The World, I encourage leaders to step out of their comfort zones and start telling their organisation’s success story. Being all modest about your work might feel safe (after all it saves you from endless self-promotion and shields you from criticism) but it undermines your mission. If your work truly matters, people need to know about it.

A compelling success story has three layers. And while the ultimate goal is to win over the outside world, the real work always starts from within. First, you convince yourself, and then the stories you practise in front of the mirror radiate outward. I call this the ABC Model. There are three layers to an organisation’s success story:

• A. The Authentic Organisation
  Do we truly believe in what we preach? And how comfortable are we with internal dissent?
• B. The Business-savvy Organisation (*)
  Can we prove we’re the best at what we do? And can we clearly explain which problem we are solving?
• C. The Charismatic Organisation
  Can we convince the outside world that our work matters? And can we inspire people to contribute to our story?

(* the Dutch word for competent starts with a B so it nicely gives us the ABC-model. For that acronym to work in English I had to resort to business-savvy. Not totally happy with that one. I am open to better suggestions here.)

The ABC Model has a direction: from the inside out. You can’t be charismatic if your team doesn’t believe in the mission or if you’re not actually good at what you do. But all three layers are always present. From day one, you must also persuade the outside world, even if you’re not entirely convinced yourself. That’s the real challenge.

At each layer, leaders have different levers to pull. And when things aren’t going smoothly, different interventions are needed. First you identify which layer of your success story needs the most work. Then you set up specific interventions to improve that layer.