How to be a Lockdown Boss
An employee’s perspective
I have not been having a great time lately — and I’m one of the lucky ones who still has a secure job. Nevertheless, I can’t help but look out the window and wonder what the world even is anymore. I get out of bed and walk over to my desk less than a meter away. I’m told I shouldn’t leave the house or see my friends and family. I wait eagerly for the president to appear from behind the crisis curtain to tell me just how close our healthcare system is to collapsing. A lot of the time, if I’m not scared, I’m depressed, and I’m sure you know as much as I do, that’s not an optimal mindset to work in.
But I haven’t given in. No, when I wake up to those mornings where I wish the ceiling would fall in on me, I don’t just lie in bed and try to sleep away a day in some depressive slump. I get up and I keep moving, not because there’s a gun to my head, but because I love my job.
“Well aren’t you lucky, Ross, not everyone gets to be a full time writer,” you say. I’ve been writing for a good while, and let me tell you, it can be agonizing. I’ve had positions where the world outside was nothing but rainbows and roses but still dreaded getting out of bed in the morning. How is it that this writing job not only gets me out of bed, but also helps me deal with the madness going on all around me?
The answer is easy — it’s because my boss is a Lockdown Boss. This is not a matter of opinion — it is unanimously considered objective fact. You could learn a thing or two from him, whether you’re a CEO, team leader, or freelancer with only your pets to manage. From the TouchFoundry team to you, this is why our boss is a Lockdown Boss.
This ain’t no paycheque
From the moment Fabio Longano (CEO and Founder of TouchFoundry) starts talking shop, you realize he is not talking about a business — he’s talking about his baby. And I’m sure you’re thinking, okay, it’s his business, if anyone’s invested in it, it should be him. But it’s more than just a silver tongue spitting a good pitch — it’s passion, and by Jove, is it contagious.
It’s not long before you realize, TouchFoundry is not just Fabio’s baby, it’s your baby too! And you want it to grow! You want to be there when it starts up every morning. You want to keep a photo of it in your wallet to show off to the neighbours. When I first realized I was emotionally invested in someone else’s company, I couldn’t help but wonder: how on earth did this happen! I thought I was just trying to keep a roof over my head, now I’m part parent to a company I just met?
It didn’t take long for the light bulb to spark and the answer to come to me — it’s vision. Fabio’s vision is written all over his face — it’s in his step when he walks into the room, it slips off every syllable he speaks. His vision for TouchFoundry is so clear that you can’t help but see it too, and thus, you can’t help but want to make it a reality. It’s no secret — it’s magnetic, and suddenly, it’s too late, you’re sucked in. You’re one of us now.
So to you, Fortune 500 CEO who is most definitely reading my article right now, let me tell you this: when you share the vision for your company so unapologetically, and inherently encourage each and every team member to be a part of it, you make actualizing that vision existentially fulfilling for those involved. Even though I don’t join my colleagues in a shared office space anymore, I’m still drawn to my desk every morning, because I don’t work for TouchFoundry — I’m a piece of it.
Each and every one of us
Somehow, with this huge vision that sucks people in left and right, Fabio still manages to have his finger on the pulse of every little artery and vein within TouchFoundry. Nothing is too small-picture for him to zoom in on. And yes, that does at large mean being aware of every hiccup or hurdle in every leg of every project, but it also means being a true Lockdown Boss to every single member of the TouchFoundry team.
I came up with the idea for this article after I had to admit myself: I was not having a great time. It’s never an easy thing speaking about one’s own mental health, even with a friend or family member, let alone your boss. I tried to keep things under wraps and carry on as usual, but the cracks were beginning to show, and Fabio, ever so patiently and privately, pointed them out.
If Fabio had not created a culture of openness and kindness — had not always encouraged a true comradery that surpasses the cliches of ‘we’re all being one big happy family’, there’s no way I would have been comfortable enough to tell him what I was dealing with. I’m just not that sort of chap. But somehow, I just told him, like I was speaking to a friend I’d grown up with.
You see, Fabio doesn’t sit atop his ivory tower and look down at us lowly employees. He ensures that we’re all at ground level, together, keeping this baby running — our leader, but our equal. Long before we went into lockdown, he made it clear: we’re all in this together, so if there’s a problem, let’s talk.
When I told the rest of the TouchFoundry team about my idea for this article (in a sneaky channel beyond Fabio’s all seeing eye), similar, and far more inspiring stories came rolling in. Enough to fill more pages than you, Fortune 500 CEO, have time to read. But I will ask you to read this: if you’re a leader to anyone in any sense of the word, take a page from Fabio’s book and make sure you’re open and available to your team. It makes all the difference in this chaotic, crazy time.
