Zebras that Dazzle: How Ostella Adam is building deeper community at Zebras Unite

Hi everyone, this is Linzi Fidelin, coming to you with another inspiring Zebra in the Wild!

This month I spoke to Ostella Adam, who is a Dazzle Doer at Zebras Unite Coop. In this interview, Ostella shares some insights into what collaboration really means, how it feels in practice, and how she believes that Zebra companies are paving the way towards a more human-centered working culture.

If you are in a leadership role, this interview is a great one for thinking about the ‘person behind the worker’ in your organization, which is an essential part of building a great, sustainable team at every level.

Hi Ostella. It’s wonderful to be talking to a Dazzle Doer! Can you start by telling us how you came across Zebras Unite, and what motivated you to get involved in this work?

Sure Linzi. My journey into Zebras Unite began when I met Kate “Sassy” Sasson at Singularity University, where I worked as a Community Program Manager. Together with our colleagues our goal was to impact 1 billion lives through the use of exponential technology. I loved my work and the mission behind it, but unfortunately the organization went through a reorg and our team got broken up.

I took on some other work after that, and on looking back I realize that it was a crucial time for me, even though it was extremely difficult. My husband works nights and I was trying to manage a 9–5 job in this situation. After almost burning myself out trying to steal moments in the early mornings and late nights to catch up with each other, I knew I had to balance my work with my home situation. I wasn’t sure if it was possible to find a place of work that could embrace my need for flexible working hours and also celebrate me, the human behind the employee; but I knew that’s what I was looking for.

When Kate joined Zebras Unite she shared the article Zebras Fix what Unicorns Break, and I knew this was the type of movement I wanted to be part of. The values of mutualism, community, and a balanced team made so much sense to me, and it was clear that Zebras were building the type of companies that would also put their people first. Finally, it felt like what I had been searching for had materialized.

As I began working in the Dazzle District, I learned how the Zebra values play out at many different levels. The co-op structure, the working culture, and most importantly the people saying “there needs to be a better way”, and then stepping up and doing it in community.

That’s so good to hear. And what did you learn about yourself along the way?

One of the most important things I’ve learnt at Zebras Unite is the need to reframe what the word collaboration means. In other places, collaboration means bringing a decision up to someone so that they can ultimately make the decision. In fact, in my school in Malaysia we were taught that there was ‘one way’ of doing things, and that we just needed to learn ‘the best way’ and that is how we would get ahead.

At Zebras Unite, I learnt that actually, sometimes the ‘best way’ to do things is to muddle through it together. That is what true collaboration is; it can take 3 weeks instead of 3 days, but ultimately you discover things along the way, and those discoveries make the final product so much more beautiful.

I can be impatient, but I’ve learnt that I need to slow down, understand things more deeply and value the time spent in community, as we make better decisions together.

Yes I definitely can be impatient too, but that makes total sense. Other than that, what have you found is the biggest challenge of being a Zebra?

We often talk about ‘building the plane while flying’ at Zebras Unite because we’re trying to build something completely new. In fact, I think of Zebras Unite whenever I’m crossing a bridge. We’re building this bridge without the pre existing materials, while people are already waiting on one side to cross over, and some are already half way across! It means that there is a need for deep collaboration, and also the ability to quickly pivot, and a lot of experimenting out loud, as we exemplified in our recent board expansion work for Zebras.org.

It’s a challenge, but one that everyone I work with is deeply committed to, and when you mix that with a culture that puts people first, it’s one that is absolutely doable!

I agree, It IS doable. It’s happening as we speak, all over the world. And what does the future of the world that you want to live in look like?

The world that I want to live in has space for everyone, and everything. It’s the world that Zebras Unite is creating; one where the purpose of companies is sustainable prosperity, not exponential growth, and where every single person within those companies is treated like a full human being.

I love that. Do you have a question for the Zebras Unite global community?

I do. It’s “What is the best way for us to create an even deeper community with you?”

I’ve been pondering this a lot recently. I want to challenge the assumptions of what a global community can achieve when it comes to our relationships together. I want us to be able to build deep friendships, across locations and sectors, so that it’s easy for any one of us to find support when we need it; people to celebrate with when we need it, and so on.

I would love to hear from the community about this; and why not start by just pinging me by direct message in the Zebras Unite Might Networks community!

What a great way to start! And as a final question; are there any people or organizations that you’d like to shout out?

I want to shout out my acting teachers, who made an incredible impact on my life. When I graduated and I started working, I was terrified of networking. I took my first acting class because I thought it would teach me ‘how to pass as a normal human being’. I absolutely hated improv classes, but I carried on anyway, and a couple of years later, those classes have taught me that I’m actually okay as I am, and gave me courage and insight into accepting me as myself, and to grow as my own person. Acting is not just for people who want to act, it’s for people who want to connect with others, and I’m so grateful that I discovered that early on.

What a wonderful tip. It’s been so great learning about your journey, thank you Ostella.

Thank you Linzi.

Find Ostella on LinkedIn, ZU website, or better yet — send her a direct message on Mighty Networks.