Another anniversary

The early years

Robert had been thinking about ways to strengthen employee loyalty to the company for a long time, and for about three years, the concept of virtual shares seemed to be an attractive solution for binding selected employees more closely to the company while also allowing them to share in its financial success. But somehow, this process dragged on; it wasn't an urgent issue, and customer projects were more important. The pressure to deliver results was low, and the cycles were correspondingly long. Ultimately, time took care of it: COVID-19 forced us to reposition ourselves as a company and find a new way through these challenging times together. But even though we were working remotely, this period brought us even closer together. We worked together toward the single goal of getting the company back on track; we were ready to take on responsibility and even unpleasant tasks.

New decisions

And somewhere amid the trials and tribulations of that period, Robert apparently came up with the idea of not only giving Andreas and me virtual shares, but also making us full partners—shareholders—on paper. And that's exactly what I still find remarkable: giving up company shares also means giving up decision-making power; it's a huge and almost irreversible step; it takes you far out of your comfort zone and requires a willingness to make a number of concessions:

• You can do it at least as well as I can.
• You bring skills that complement mine.
• I can accept that my opinion may sometimes be in the minority.
• I share the (economic) success.
• I want to decide the future together with you—today and every day after that.
• I am absolutely certain of my decision. For the good of the company and my own.

Even though Andreas and I had already taken on responsibility up to that point, becoming shareholders now officially put us in a new position. A position that we hadn't asked for, but now held in a notarized document. We would probably have continued to bear the same responsibility with virtual shares or with smaller company shares – but Robert's decision to give all three of us equal company shares was not based on fairness, in my opinion, but simply on an act of generosity, for which I am still very grateful to Robert. Because I don't think it would have been easy for me to do the same in his place.

And how is it going?

The question, “Would the last three years have been different if this had been the case?” can only be answered with a fortune-telling glass ball. However, it can certainly be said that equal participation has made many things easier and ensures balanced cooperation in discussions and decision-making. The transition was not a huge one, as we had already discussed important issues together and divided up management and control tasks among ourselves in advance. What has changed is the decision-making process: even though we discussed things together before, Robert ultimately made the decisions alone. Now we all have to make a personal decision and come to an overall decision together.

What has proven to be effective?

When everyone is allowed to participate on an equal footing, they can participate on an equal footing. This is not always efficient and can lead to everyone wanting to pull the cart in a different direction or, conversely, to a diffusion of responsibility and no one pulling the cart at all. A few things have proven effective for us in ensuring that we all pull together successfully in the same direction:

• Define areas of responsibility: We have clearly assigned the roles of CEO, CTO, and COO.
• Regular meetings: Some longer, some shorter, some more frequent, some less frequent, some for administrative issues and others for strategic issues, but always with a focus and an agenda.
• Document decisions: Be able to clearly state when and what was decided on certain issues to prevent subsequent questioning of whether and what decision was made.
• Check in on mood: Instead of just discussing the rational, we actively ask each other how we are feeling so that we can identify and address changes in mood or gut feelings at an early stage.
• Feedback rounds: Regular one-on-one feedback sessions with each other and the company in general. We want to keep improving—as a company, but also as individuals.
• Team building: Meet regularly outside of work, in a different environment, often with families.
• Blocking minority: We do not have to accept every decision that is voted 2 to 1. Everyone has the right to veto and uses it responsibly.
• Making time: Encouraging each other to make time for internal issues instead of chasing after project business.

In the end, it can be said that equal responsibility is not a risk for us, but a great opportunity. It forces us to make more conscious decisions, brings more perspectives to the table, and makes us more resilient. It helps us to further develop the company and become more professional at the organizational level, to create structures instead of acting ad hoc or only reacting to external influences. This works well primarily because no dominant ego pushes itself to the forefront; instead, corporate management is perceived and practiced as a team sport. At the shareholder level, we set the framework that we fill together with all employees in order to continue to grow and be successful with esveo.