The Power of Empowered Teams: Missionaries over Mercenaries

A cross-functional product team at a fast-growing startup was used to getting detailed instructions from above. Managers outlined exactly which features to build and how to sequence tasks. Team members often felt like cogs in a machine—always building but rarely understanding why, or seeing how their part contributed to the company’s mission.

Then the leadership tried something new: they stopped dictating solutions and instead gave each team a clear problem to solve, like 'reduce customer churn by 15% this quarter.' The team could pick their own strategies—new onboarding flows, follow-up messages, or even rethinking core features. They were trusted to make decisions, propose solutions, and iterate without waiting for approval on every step. At first, the freedom felt risky, but soon the group discovered a sense of ownership and pride, working longer hours by choice and even organizing after-work brainstorms over pizza.

Customer feedback improved and the company tracked measurable gains in activation and retention, well past targets. Team morale soared—people said they felt like 'missionaries' committing to a cause, not just 'mercenaries' paid to follow a script. Research confirms that teams who own both process and outcome, with real authority to make changes, consistently outperform tightly controlled teams on innovation, speed, and engagement. Modern product organizations use this structure for resilience and growth.

This week, start your next project with a short meeting that sets out the broader goal and the boundaries for team decision-making. Spell out what winning looks like, then give each member or subgroup space to strategize how they’ll contribute, free from micromanagement or unneeded approvals. When setbacks happen, shift the conversation away from 'Who did what?' to 'What result are we driving?'—this way, you’ll notice greater motivation and solutions you wouldn't have imagined alone. Try replacing your next to-do list with a mission statement and outcome metric; you might be surprised how much more your team accomplishes when they unite as missionaries, not mercenaries.