When bouncing this idea of a “Hierarchy of Opportunity” off of Jordan Birnbaum, who knows a thing or two about the evolving workplace, he suggested researching a language where the same word was used for "crisis" and "opportunity." I learned that it’s actually a common misinterpretation that gained popularity from a John F. Kennedy speech. As I dove deeper into exploring this misinterpretation, I discovered something even more interesting.
Confucian philosophy has a principle called "xiushen qijia zhiguo pingtianxia," which translates to "cultivate oneself, harmonize the family, govern the state, bring peace to the world." The order of these words is crucial: by first focusing on self-growth, one creates an exponential impact on the greater world around them.
While I don’t have personal experience with Confucian philosophy, it’s nice to know my professional experiences line up with a larger concept. Truth be told, I’m not even sure if the term “Hierarchy of Opportunity” is a thing (Editor’s note: we’re making it one, Ian!) I was trying to impress Justin Robbins by putting an official name to how I approach team communication.
Picture this: you're leading a new project—one of both incredible difficulty and incredible opportunity (remember what JFK said). You were chosen to lead it because you spotted friction in a process and took action. The action? Meeting with individual employees to learn more about the friction and creating alignment on a new strategy to address the challenges.
The old you would have held a kickoff meeting for this new project, rallying your team to "give it their all!" You'd highlight the cutting-edge tech you'll be using, the aggressive timeline, and the high-stakes deliverables. But as you look around the (virtual) room, you're met with a sea of blank stares and muted mics. What's missing?
Simple: principles from the "Hierarchy of Opportunity." The concept of focusing on how employee growth contributes to even bigger wins. Let's take a look at some questions to ask during each communication stage when you start a new project.
Pre-Kickoff: What's in it for the employee?
It makes me giggle—in our personal lives, we wouldn’t dream of going on vacation with a charismatic stranger to an unknown destination…and yet, this is what we do professionally when we pull an employee onto a project without context. This is a case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Meet 1:1 with your key contributors before the kickoff. With this approach, you’ll have smiling faces and people brave enough to come off mute, rather than being met with blank stares and muted mics during a kickoff call.
These 1:1 conversations before kickoff are where you find your spark, it’s an opportunity as a leader to learn more about how to help your team achieve their goals. Before diving into project details, ask the questions that matter:
- How could this initiative help employees grow?
- How could they develop new skills or advance their career?
- Will it give them exposure to senior leadership or stretch assignments?
- Will it make their day-to-day work easier or more meaningful?
I recommend starting with open-ended questions. However, if an employee struggles to answer, you, as the leader, should have suggestions ready to spark the conversation.
Strategic Discretion: What's in it for the team?
The context of your project impacts how you strategically approach team structures. If you have a solo team dedicated to the project, great—let’s kick things off!
If there are multiple teams involved in the initiative, consider this: will customer support and sales have the same perspective? Will these teams see the same benefits from working on this project Sure, maybe there’s a bit of overlap, but you will likely get better results if you meet with each team separately before the kickoff.
Here are questions you should be prepared to answer when discussing this project with different teams:
- How will this project enhance their reputation, cohesion, or capabilities? Maybe it’ll even lead to greater investment in the team through hiring or additional resources.
- Will it position them as innovation leaders or efficiency experts? Are they on the ground floor of something big?
- Will it streamline their workflows or eliminate pain points?
The goal is simple: Paint a picture of how this project will elevate each team's standing and effectiveness.
Kickoff: What's in it for the organization?
At the top of the hierarchy is the big picture: the organizational impact.
This is the frustrating mistake most leaders make: jumping straight to how the company will benefit from people's hard work—then we're shocked when employees view us as callous and greedy.
We must explicit connections between the project outcomes and what it means for the company. This is the time to demonstrate why you were entrusted with leading this difficult yet potentially rewarding project in the first place.
Here are some questions you should consider from a wider organizational perspective:
- Will this initiative give your company a first-mover advantage in an emerging market?
- Will it dramatically improve customer satisfaction scores? Leading to increased loyalty and lifetime value – growth for the company opens up growth opportunities for contributors.
- Will it advance the company's mission and vision? Vulnerability is the key here. This is your vision we’re talking about: it better have a deeper meaning where your commitment is contagious and sparks motivation in employees.
Now, you might be thinking, won’t I lose trust and look stupid if the project fails? That’s the beauty of the Hierarchy of Opportunity: it reframes failure as growth. If the project doesn't meet objectives, employees still walk away with new skills, teams still gain valuable experience, and the organization still gleans insights to inform future efforts.
When employees can see a clear path from their individual contributions to team success and company impact, both engagement and motivation soar. They're no longer just completing tasks—they're building skills, advancing careers, and driving the business forward.
And who knows, you might just find yourself with a sea of unmuted mics and enthusiastic faces, ready to tackle any project that comes by.
