Ricardo Semler, the optimist

It’s hard to get enough of Ricardo Semler, the CEO of Brazil’s Semco. In a new article from Strategy+Business he talks about participatory management:

Asked why true participative management is still such a rarity, Mr. Semler cites two elements that he says are in sadly short supply: “One, the people in charge wanting to give up control. This tends to eliminate some 80 percent of business people. Two, a profound belief that humankind will work toward its best version, given freedom; that would eliminate the other 20 percent,” he says.

The only reason there aren’t more people like Ricardo Semler is simply that it takes overwhelming courage to buck the experts and prove them wrong. But for those of us that believe, like Semler, “that humankind will work towards its best version, given freedom,” he continues to be an inspiration.