Why did I create Coteam?

“I want to make as much money as possible, while doing as little as possible. That’s my main goal in life”

It takes a lot to shock me. Even more to leave me speechless.But when a friend recently told me this about their motivations in life, I struggled to even begin to get my head around the idea.

We had been talking about the Great Resignation. Since the beginning of the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people across the globe have quit their jobs, many of them with no definite replacement in mind. 

It was, in many cases, the straw that broke the camel’s back. Years of bad management, unreasonable hours and poor work/life balance all suddenly came to a head when people had a sudden and immediate reason to ask: “Wait, why am I doing this?”

It was a question I soon found myself wrestling with. Ironically, this kind of active focus on motivation and drive is something we actively promote at Coteam, but it had been a while since I had practised it myself. 

So I asked myself:

Why do I get out of bed in the morning? Why did I even start a company like Coteam?

Let’s be clear. I think many of the prevalent models of leadership are dehumanising at their core. They treat their teams as assets, not people. It’s a mindboggling mistake and one I am desperate to fix. I support people having more joy and play and leisure in their lives. I support a world where organisations understand that happy, fulfilled employees and profits go hand in hand. 

We spend a huge part of our time at work, talking about work, thinking about it. For me, it’s not a siloed part of my life that’s purely utilitarian. I don’t just go to work so that I can do the things that I actually want to do in my spare time. If automation became comprehensive and work was abolished tomorrow, I would have the same motivations, the same drives. 

I am privileged enough to say that my work is an aspect of a greater whole, a privilege I passionately want to extend to others which is a large part of why Coteam exists and why we teach what we teach. I want to enable as many people as possible to work in organisations that understand their employees as people, and work as part of life, rather than just a source of financial fuel. 

So what motivates me? What do I want to get out of work?

1. Meaning. 

Yes, I know. This is what we all want. But what means something to me, might not actually mean something to you. Whilst the first four levels of Maslow’s pyramid are universally true, self-actualisation is entirely personal.

The Coteam pledge is that happy people will lead to successful companies. But how does one define and quantify happiness?

Recently one of the graduates of our Growth Mindset Bootcamp said on the feedback form that the programme not only made her a better leader, but we’d improved her relationship with her husband.

That gets me out of bed. Every. Single. Day.

2. Impact

In his brilliant and thought-provoking book, Four Thousand Weeks (a sobering thought when you realise what this is referring to), Oliver Burkeman talks at length about the Productivity Trap, and the metrics by which many of us measure our success. 

Let’s be clear, impact is not meaning. We all want to leave an indelible legacy in the world, but on a day-to-day basis, do you even move the dial? 

Did that email I sent at 11:30pm last night have an impact? 

Of course, it’s not this simple. But every week, I find time to reflect on this question: “Have I made a difference this week?”

I can’t truthfully say that I answer that positively every week. In fact, recently it’s not been the case at all. 

But more importantly, how can I measure this. If I wanted to apply a data-driven approach to understanding the impact of my work, which metric do I use to define it? 

Some people measure success by their bank balance. That’s not me. If I wanted that, I’d be in some cushy consulting role with one of the big agencies. I created Coteam because most days it makes me feel uncomfortable. Sometimes I don’t even know if I’ll be able to pay the bills next month. It’s the life of an entrepreneur, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

3. Collective Creation

I like to think of the Co in Coteam as standing for Collective. 

I am surrounded by the most wonderful, brilliant minds that I have ever met. My job is to not command and control, but to create an environment for collective learning.

When you work with us, you tap into an incredible community of skilled, experienced, groundbreaking experts. Bringing together this wonderful selection of people doesn’t just create outstanding work. The collective nature of our facilitators, learning designers, wellness experts and thought leaders allows us all to reach another level that’s only possible with such tight collaboration. It’s a community I feel both to have enabled and to be a part of.

A rising tide lifts all boats…

So what about you? What floats your figurative boat? 

Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear more.