One way to think of these results is to imagine a team leader having three distinct jobs. Her first is to ensure her team members feel connected to the purpose and future of the company, even though she may not directly define those. Her second is to ensure that her team members, as a group, understand and support one another. And her third is to ensure that her team members, individually, understand what’s expected of them and how they can do their best work now and in the future, all while feeling recognized for who they are.

That was the system we had at Nest. We called it the Three Crowns. Here’s how it worked:

1. Crown 1 was the hiring manager. They got the role approved and found the candidates.

1. Crowns 2 and 3 were managers of the candidate’s internal customers. They picked one or two people from their team to interview the candidate.

1. Feedback was collected, shared, and discussed, then the Three Crowns met to decide who to hire.

1. Matt or I would watch over it all and make the final call in the rare instance when the Crowns couldn’t agree. Typically the answer if we had to get involved was no, thank you: PASS.

Accountability: This belongs to the ONE person who has the “ability to count” — who is tracking the progress and giving voice (screaming loudly) when issues arise within a defined task, team, function, or division. It doesn’t mean he or she makes all the decisions (or even any decisions) — which is why people often talk about leaderless teams. However, someone must still be accountable. The rule: If more than one person is accountable, then no one is accountable, and that’s when things fall through the cracks.

Responsibility: This falls to anyone with the “ability to respond” proactively to support the team. It includes all the people who touch a particular process or issue.

Authority: This belongs to the person or team with the final decision-making power.

Here's one way to think about it: if you run a service business, then your customers "work" for you in many of the same ways that your employees do. But these aren't your average employees. They're erratic, unskilled, and entitled. Their interests and your interests regularly diverge. Employees are contractually bound to work on behalf of the firm, but customers operate under no such constraints. Customers are looking out for number one, as they have every right to do.

Here's one way to think about it: if you run a service business, then your customers "work" for you in many of the same ways that your employees do. But these aren't your average employees. They're erratic, unskilled, and entitled. Their interests and your interests regularly diverge. Employees are contractually bound to work on behalf of the firm, but customers operate under no such constraints. Customers are looking out for number one, as they have every right to do.