That 80/20 myth of business management is an old rule. It’s the rule that 20% of the talent produces 80% of the results. It’s time to break that “rule”.

New rule: 100% of the workforce has ingenious qualities and can offer more than a traditional job trap allows. It’s time for better business performance where 100% of the people matter and can contribute to top-line revenue and driving marketplace sentiment. They can also participate in better ideas to improve the bottom line. This is a leadership imperative and is also part of ESG and driving value in the marketplace.

When we regard the workplace as a community, it helps set the frame for planning that will serve the multi-stakeholder goals of the business. I picked the name Mosaic Creation because we are creating amazing businesses by curating a mosaic of talent, investments, and business processes that will create a masterful piece of work. It is the beauty of the collection of the pieces and chemistry of the people that make it all work.

Unify and align. With over two decades of organizational behavior and organizational leadership work – I have seen one common thread between organizations – programs don’t work. Regardless of the industry, size, and stage of business, creating a culture that supports a legacy of high performance and customer love requires dedication. Organizations choosing to center around a purpose and set of simple values will create deep roots. Wise companies know that culture and values can diverge if not consistently practiced and mentored. Values/Purpose-driven companies will be future-focused, proactively adapt, and responsive to the needs of the many stakeholders.

Design thinking. Healthy high performance starts in each of us and serves the best interest of the business. Responsibility focused on emotional control (grit!), application of motivational mindsets, and a disciplined approach to execution. This can be designed into your culture and integrated into your business strategy.

How I show up + what I am capable of + the contributions I make = business results

Individual performance.  Hire and build people who you want to work with, who will want to be a part of the common-unity yet also have a distinct perspective. Culture-fit is jargon and can inadvertently turn in to ‘people like us’. You do want people committed to the purpose and mission, and you also want people that will bring new perspectives, skills, knowledge, and positive energy injections to the system.

Building next. We have a choice. We can strengthen or limit one another. We can liberate or restrict potential. When we chose to develop a mindset that serves our collective best interest, we can align our attitudes, actions, and activities to drive success.

Discipline and Democracy. The origin of the word of discipline is disciplina – Latin for instruction and knowledge. Each of us needs to practice discipline regularly to help consistently center ourselves while growing our capability. Being smart isn’t enough. Being wise through the constant reflection of our experiences and the consumption of knowledge is key. Businesses are a community focused on a common purpose. There are many stakeholders to consider when gleaning insights. organizing choices, and making decisions. We can leverage this interdependence to take advantage of the wisdom of the many. We can democratize business. We can be faster by distributing leadership and decisions to be responsive while staying unified to our core purpose. Choosing who joins our immediate community is key to helping to stay unified.

About Jennifer

Jennifer was the lead cultural steward for New Belgium Brewing as the VP of Human Resources and Organizational Development and a member of the executive team. In her 13 years with New Belgium, she shepherded the company through multiple growth phases driving value growth and an award-winning culture. As a member of the executive team, together they built a vision and grew the business from a small regional brewery to a national brand with over 900 employees, multiple locations, and nearly 1,000,000 barrels of beer.

During her tenure, New Belgium won multiple awards including repetitive Outside Magazine Best Places to Work, the Wall Street Journal Best Small Workplaces, and the Worldblu Most Democratic Workplaces. By building a purpose-based, inclusive, open book managed company – they developed a system that resulted in collective economic success.

Now, she wants to help more companies do the same.

Jennifer works as a corporate reconstructionist proving that business can be done differently – purpose centered, mission-driven, and values powered using tenants of inclusive capitalism to attain success. She is chairperson of the board for GISinc., serves as an outside independent director for PFSbrands and Engineering Economics, and is a founding partner of GRITT Business Coaching. She is a Rutgers University Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing Executive Fellow focusing on corporate governance and performance. She has contributed to the Beyster Institute with the University of California San Diego and the Democracy at Work Institute. She holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, graduate studies in Enterprise Project Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education. She was a member of the New Belgium Brewing executive leadership team for over a decade as VP of Human Resources and Organizational Development.

A personal perspective:

Jennifer has a unique blend of being deeply rooted and tough yet empathetic, kind, and adaptable. She is not a person who had the fortune of ease but had to climb out of poverty, grow her family, while also dedicating time to education and career. Grit, adaptability, foresight, and absolute drive motivated top-level work and a drive to build a better future for others. She was the winner of multiple scholarships including one from the National Basketball Association. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership with a focus on Enterprise Project Management. Her undergraduate work focused on community health, math, and science. She continues educational pursuits in labor economics and behavioral economics.