One of my earliest change‑management engagements was with a group of exceptionally intelligent leaders. Every person in the room held a doctorate. They were brilliant scientists and educators, respected in their fields, and responsible for teams of equally capable people.
Their organisation had just appointed a new CEO, tasked with transforming a historically public‑good institution into a financially sustainable one. The reaction in the room was visceral. Most were furious. One was resigned. All were bracing for a cultural earthquake.
As the training progressed, something became clear: these highly capable leaders felt defeated, deflated, and disenchanted. Their expertise wasn’t the issue; their perspective was.
After lunch, I asked a question that stopped the room cold:
“What shape is your organisation?”
Perplexed faces stared back. I offered options: circle or pyramid? They unanimously chose pyramid.
“Great,” I said. “Now… let’s flat pack it.”
More perplexed faces. So I added: “Let’s go full IKEA and flat pack the structure in our minds.”
That got their attention.
I held my forearms upright like a pyramid, then collapsed them flat. One person laughed in recognition. The rest watched, curious. I drew the pyramid on the whiteboard — board at the top, CEO and executives beneath, managers somewhere in the middle.
They agreed this was how they saw their organisation.
Then I asked the real question: “What if this shape is what’s disempowering you?”
You could almost hear the gears turning. The penny dropped.
Reframing the Pyramid
We spent the afternoon exploring how their mental model of hierarchy was shaping their behaviour. They were waiting for instructions from above instead of leading from their own expertise. They were deferring to executives who had no scientific background, rather than collaborating as peers in the change.
To help them communicate more effectively upward, we applied the simple colour‑coding system for leadership styles:
- Blue — analytical, fact‑driven
- Green — sociable, people‑focused
- Yellow — innovative, risk‑taking
- Red — visionary, mission‑driven
We mapped each executive to a colour so managers could tailor their communication. For example, the blue finance executive didn’t want a casual drop‑in chat — they wanted a structured meeting request with a clear purpose and supporting data.
This wasn’t about personality labels. It was about strategic communication.
Leading From the Middle — Without Waiting for Permission
Next, we explored how their hierarchical mindset was affecting their teams. By waiting for “the missive from on high,” they weren’t truly leading. They weren’t empowering their teams to think critically about the proposed changes or the board’s shift toward profitability.
I challenged them to step outside the boxes they’d been operating in:
- Identify risks and opportunities
- Analyse impacts from their domain expertise
- Collaborate proactively rather than reactively
- Lead their teams into clarity instead of waiting for it
- Generate ideas with their teams to preserve the institutions values and practices while achieving greater financial sustainability that in the end would save their jobs
Momentum built quickly. In coaching sessions over the following weeks, managers began shifting from emotional reactivity to analytical creativity. They were no longer bracing for change — they were shaping it.
And yes, when I saw some of them later, they’d raise their forearms and “flat pack” them with a grin.
They’d embraced the metaphor. More importantly, they’d embraced their agency.
A Watermelon Moment
The CEO didn’t last long in the role. They had completed the same change‑management training and colour‑coding exercise, but the mindset shift didn’t take root.
At an afternoon tea early in the change, they looked out at staff and said quietly to me: “These poor people don’t know what’s ahead for them.”
I replied gently: “Maybe they do. And perhaps the best leader you can be is a watermelon — green on the outside, red on the inside. People‑focused in your approach, mission‑focused in your decisions.”
They smiled politely. I could see the seed land… but it never germinated.
The Takeaway
Organisations don’t just need structural change — they need perspective change.
When leaders mentally flatten the hierarchy, they stop waiting for direction and start contributing from their expertise. They communicate more effectively, empower their teams, and become active participants in shaping the future rather than passive recipients of it.
Sometimes the most powerful organisational transformation begins not with a new strategy, but with a new shape.