In Ukraine (and not only in Ukraine), there’s a common belief that business is a toxic environment full of lazy, unmotivated people. And to manage them, you must be an “effective” manager with alpha traits.

What’s on the agenda today? At 9:00, berate the colleagues lower in the hierarchy. At 10:00, spin some lies and butter up the boss. A very packed schedule! You need to stay resilient to stress and calmly handle the absurdity around you. Command and control. Trust no one. Everyone lies and steals, at best, they’re slacking off. Surround yourself only with loyal fools without their own opinions. Battle other departments and shift all the blame onto them (so they don’t get too comfortable in the corporate world). By 5:59, head from the office to the bar to relieve stress, because working in such an environment is unbearable. – Wait! Did I somehow contribute to creating this atmosphere?

I’ve always wondered why adults so often create a hellish place where they’re forced to spend 30% of the best years of their lives. Is it because these are the rules, and there’s no other way? Could it be different? Some people believe it can and have even written books about how it works in practice (Frederic Laloux, Dennis Bakke, Tony Hsieh, etc.). Some are implementing these concepts in successful businesses—Zappos, Medium, Valve, Patagonia… Decathlon.

I was lucky to work at Decathlon and observe all the details and practical nuances of a Teal organization. I could contribute to building a company based on strong values and a culture of self-management, a focus on people, the freedom to be yourself, and inspiring goals. It’s said that after reading Reinventing Organizations, Decathlon CEO Michel Aballea met the author and was inspired to implement these principles among Decathlon’s tens of thousands of employees worldwide. Here’s a link to an article on MC.today, where we shared some insights and features of Decathlon Ukraine’s team culture.

I’m not claiming that these features make Decathlon an invulnerable company. But it’s undoubtedly more protected in an ever-changing environment. And more anti-fragile.