Why I Love Working with “Bottom Teams”
Why I Love Working with “Bottom Teams”
I remember the day vividly.
I was at a workshop, surrounded by about 30 high-powered coaches, trainers and facilitators. It was an intimidating crowd.
One by one, we introduced ourselves, each emphasizing their work with top teams in organizations. Over and over I heard this phrase “top teams,” and I started to smile.
When my turn came, I took a risk and went in the opposite direction.
"I'm an organizational coach," I said. "I work with bottom teams who solve problems."
The room fell silent for a moment before there were a few nods and even smiles.
It was my small act of rebellion against the notion that only work with "top teams" is valuable or prestigious. But more than that, it was a declaration of my passion for what – from that day onward – I call "bottom teams.” These are the teams closest to the work and the customer, and they can teach us a lot about organizational change.
What Makes Bottom Teams Special?
In my years of experience with organizational change, I've come to realize that these bottom teams are often where the real magic happens. They're the ones with their hands dirty, directly solving problems and impacting the organization's success.
Let’s face it, bottom teams are usually the most fun. And who doesn’t want to be around that?!
Yet, bottom teams — especially the further they are from “headquarters” — are frequently overlooked in conversations about transformation and leadership, especially at the beginning. Much effort, time and resources are focused on “top teams” thinking that the trickle-down effect will make a bigger impact. And of course, top teams are very important, but bottom teams play a crucial role in injecting energy into transformation and teaching some important lessons to top teams about making tangible progress.
In my experience, "bottom teams" often have:
Less attachment to identities or opinions: They're typically more focused on solving problems than protecting their status. Their sense of duty and responsibility to the customer is palpable and inspiring.
Quicker ability to pivot: Being closer to the customer means they often see the need for change before anyone else.
A refreshing closeness to real business problems: They're not dealing in abstractions but in day-to-day realities. As one of my former colleagues used to say, they got their hands on the dough, they’re the ones making the doughnuts!
Diverse perspectives: These teams often represent a wider range of backgrounds, ages, demographics, and experiences.
Untapped creativity: Without the pressure of being at the "top," these teams have less to lose or protect, so they can often think more freely and innovatively.
The Power of Protected Experiments
Your bottom team's agility isn't just about their proximity to the customer. It's about the environment they operate in. Have you as a leader provided them with opportunities to run protected experiments?
In a protected experiment, the team has clear guardrails, but within those, they have the freedom to try, fail, learn, and iterate rapidly. They are protected from reproach when they make mistakes, and from the many pressures from the organization to conform to the status quo.
That's one of the most powerful things we can do for our bottom teams – create these protected spaces for experimentation. It's not about giving them free rein to do whatever they want. It's about clearly defining the problem to be solved, setting broad constraints, and then getting out of their way.
Think of it as planting a baby tree, and setting up that protective structure around it supports growth and prevents the neighborhood’s dogs from peeing on it. You water the tree, give it some plant food, maybe even medicine sometimes. And then, you just let nature take its course.
Put Your Bottom Teams on Top
Creating this kind of environment requires us as leaders to let go of control. It requires us to trust in the wisdom of those closest to the work. The tree knows best how to be a tree. And that can be very scary. But it’s a great sign of organizational health to see how teams operate without the need for managers whose main job is to watch other people work. After all, as I usually tell my clients, leadership is what happens behind your back.
I remember talking with a senior leader who openly shared the fear behind his reluctance to share power with bottom teams. “If I’m not making those decisions anymore, what am I here for? What’s my job now?!”.
This is a difficult place to be. One of our deepest desires as humans is to matter, to know that we are contributing. I feel a lot of compassion for leaders who used to be praised and recognized for running a tight ship, and now are asked to do a 180 degree turn and delegate.
Sometimes, in our desire to embrace this new way and do good by our bottom teams, we confuse freedom with absence. I recently heard a team member describe their functional head this way: “he used to be a king, but now he’s an emperor. I don’t see him anymore”.
Disappearing is not the same as empowering. We need to trust people closest to the work to find the best solutions while remaining present with support, encouragement, perspective and coaching.
There are some things we can do, especially within large organizations, to magnify the magic of these "bottom teams":
Hire leaders at every level. It all starts with having the right people. Hiring for mindset first and technical expertise second (rather than the other way around) ensures that you have strong leadership all across the organization, not just at the “top”. Leadership is not the exclusive job of people with direct reports. Large organizations with traditional career paths are usually blind to leaders who do not fit the mold. But I’ve seen a few organizations be more creative. For example, I worked in a company with a handful of staff scientists. These were very experienced, highly influential and respected individuals who were sought after by teams to help solve impossible problems. They helped countless employees grow and deliver stellar results. Bottom leadership at its best.
Invest in their development as much as you do for "high potentials". Bottom teams are your untapped talent pool. Often times, the highest potentials are hidden gems who need to be liberated from obscurity and bureaucracy. Give them opportunities to grow, learn, and take on new challenges.
Spend time with these teams regularly, not just during crises. I’ll never forget this moment from my manufacturing days. We had to stop production because of a problem on one of our lines. I was on the shop floor talking with one of my colleagues when I saw the head of operations walk in. “Wow”, my colleague whispers, “this must be really bad. I haven’t seen him here in a couple of years”. If the top is only present when things go wrong or in highly rehearsed corporate events, they will never know what’s really going on at the bottom (until it’s too late). Or be able to mobilize change on the ground. You need to get out of your special penthouse office with the plush carpet and the faster internet. Ideally, give up the penthouse altogether. Go work where bottom teams work. Get your hands dirty alongside them. You'll be amazed at what you learn and how energized you will feel.
Harvest their ideas. Remember, these teams are closest to the customer and the work. Their insights are gold. Attract bottom teams to forums where their ideas can flow, and then give them the autonomy and accountability for bringing these ideas to life (without “checking on them” every 5 minutes 😉)
Involve them in strategic discussions – their ground-level insights are invaluable. They see things you don't. They know workarounds you've never imagined. Bring them into the room when you're making big decisions.
Celebrate and share their successes across the organization. Not just the big wins, but the small victories too. Show the rest of the organization what's possible when you empower these teams.
Stop using top and bottom language: I was recently at a meeting with the head of an organization who, with good intentions, said that “everyone here is allowed to contribute”. It got me wondering: Who is allowing them?... The language of hierarchy is so ingrained in our everyday communication that we don’t even notice it. Even with our best intentions, we can continue to perpetuate hierarchy and power rather than autonomy and accountability.
Your Turn
So, here's my challenge to you, fellow big-hearted leaders: Take a closer look at your bottom teams. What would happen if you gave them more space to experiment? If you listened more closely to their insights? If you celebrated their failures as much as their successes? I’ve seen many a performing artist get a standing ovation when they make a big mistake on stage but keep going anyway. We are inspired by their courage and resilience. What would it be like to work in an organization where we give standing ovations to bottom teams who give their all, regardless of the outcome?
You might just find that the view from the "bottom" offers the clearest path forward. By holding up and serving these teams, you're not just doing what’s right for business; you're redefining power and success in our society.
I'm curious about your experiences. When was the last time you spent quality time with a "bottom team"? How have you unleashed the potential of these teams? And for those on these teams – what do you wish “top teams” understood about your perspective? What can you do to help them steer the organization into the future?
Need a fresh perspective on your change initiative? Ready to discover how to lead with harmony and flow, instead of pushing and controlling? Book a Pivot Power Hour. In just 60 minutes, we'll tackle your challenges and chart a new course forward.