If you want commitment, stop hoarding control. When people are involved in discussions and decision‑making, they do more and care more — because it becomes their business, not just the company’s.
Hock built Visa as a decentralized, member‑owned cooperative with a highly participative management style. When we opened The Mirage, unit heads had the responsibility and authority to develop and run their divisions. They were prepared — technically and emotionally — to shoulder accountability. People go all in on what they helped create.
Structures like these expect leaders to set a vision, understand how things run individually and collectively, and coach their people to be their best.
Leaders who believe two heads are better than one naturally bring people together at a strategic level — collectivizing strengths, reducing silos, and building real teams.
At the top of this kind of hierarchy is a leader whose engaging style becomes the model for everyone else. Not overbearing. Not micromanaging. Focused on objectives. Bobby Baldwin, President of Mirage Resorts, once sat with Bellagio’s designers and engineers and disassembled, studied, and reassembled a super‑shooter from that Casino’s famous fountains. His curiosity motivated their curiosity — and led to a more effective approach to maintenance.
Don’t think size determines whether an organization can build a culture of engagement. Big or small, every company and every unit benefits from people who feel ownership in what they help create today.
Dee Hock (1929 – 2022): Founder and CEO of the Visa credit card association. He walked away from fame and fortune in 1984 to live a quiet life as a rancher, student, and philosopher.
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