W.L. Gore culture

Listening to this 30 minute conversation between Terri Kelly and Gary Hamel, I learned this:

Minute 2: Gary Hamel mentions that people, who work for W.L. Gore, have no titles.

Minute 3: Terri Kelly mentions that at W.L. Gore, they avoid big corner offices.

Minute 4: Gary Hamel mentions that at W.L. Gore, all commitments people make are voluntary. Terri Kelly follows up by explaining that there's a totally different level of commitment when people decide themselves what they do.

Minute 4-5: Terri Kelly talks about the sweet spot between passion of the individual, unique skills of the individual, and the company purpose. Ms. Kelly continues by talking about the role of sponsors who help people become successful and maximize their contributions.

Minute 12: Gary Hamel mentions that at Gore, leaders are selected by people, who want to follow them. In other words, authority trickles up at W.L. Gore - not down like in most companies.

Minute 16: Terri Kelly explains that simply asking people - and thereby involving / engaging them - can very much help create alignment.

Minute 17: Terri Kelly mentions that when a senior leader is brought in from outside, he or she is first put into an area where he / she can share his or her knowledge as a kind of knowledge expert. If it shows that he/she has the same value system as the company is based on, he / she will emerge naturally into a leadership role taking on more responsibility.

Minute 20: Terri Kelly explains that at W.L. Gore, people rank other people, they know, for their contributions. The ranking determines how people are compensated financially. People rank up to about 25 people. When ranking people, focus is on how big a contribution people are making to the success of the enterprise.