How Great Companies Build Agency

Most of us who build, run, and scale companies don’t start with slogans. We start with a sense of what could be. A drive to make things better. A willingness to try, fail, and try again. It’s gritty, unglamorous Work. And yet, as companies grow, it’s tempting to replace that hard reality with polished slogans that sound true but ignore what it actually takes to build something that lasts.

This is especially common when it comes to culture. Leaders grab onto catchy mantras like "Skill is a choice," "Responsibility is taken," and "Trust builds connection." These all sound good. They nod to agency, empowerment, ownership — all things we value deeply. But in practice, these ideas fall apart if we don’t build the systems to support them.

That’s what this piece is about. How real agency gets built. Why slogans aren’t enough. And what steps founders need to take if they want their companies to grow into productive, humane, and resilient organizations.

Let’s talk about what it really takes to build agency and coach your team to do the same.

Skill Requires More Than Effort

The idea that "skill is a choice" is appealing. It speaks to a growth mindset and the power of discipline. But in my experience, this notion misses something fundamental: We don’t all operate the same way.

This is where Kolbe comes in. Unlike traditional personality tests or IQ scores, Kolbe measures how you instinctively take action when striving to solve problems. Some people start by gathering data (Fact Finders). Some by improvising (Quick Starts). Some by building systems (Follow Thrus). Some by taking action directly (Implementors).

This matters because building skill isn’t just about logging hours — it’s about how those hours match the way someone naturally operates. When there’s alignment, people stay energized and improve faster. When there isn’t, even the most disciplined effort can feel like an uphill battle.

Don't get me wrong, you can absolutely build skill outside your wiring zone for a while. But if building a skill constantly requires you to override your natural instincts, it will eventually grind you down. You’ll lose momentum and wonder why you’re not getting better faster.

Founders who understand that we all function differently don’t just ask, "Can this person learn the skill?" They ask, "Is this the right person to master this skill given how they operate?" And then they design systems that let people play to their strengths.

Responsibility Means Owning Progress

Seth Godin recently wrote that responsibility "is not given to us, it’s taken," meaning it's a choice you actively make to own a situation or task. But I think his take oversimplifies a more nuanced truth: Responsibility is earned through trust and exercised through results.

In great companies, responsibility isn’t about tasks. It’s about outcomes. It’s about agreeing to grow something. Not manage it, not talk about it, not maintain it — grow it.

This requires clarity about what progress looks like. It requires courage to recognize when it's not happening and act on it. And, perhaps most importantly, it requires a culture that isn’t afraid to redistribute responsibility when someone’s in the wrong Seat.

As founders, we often feel this intuitively. But as our teams scale, it can be harder to keep track of. Titles, tenure, and politics start to move in. Before long, responsibility can easily get confused with status if we aren't careful.

So we have to stay vigilant. We have to be relentless about tying responsibility to progress, not optics. Because in nature and in business, what doesn’t grow eventually dies.

Trust Must Be Grounded

We hear a lot about trust being the foundation of great teams. And it is. But let’s be honest, trust only works when it’s grounded in reality. Extend it too quickly, and you risk instability. Hold it back too long, and you limit your team’s potential.

At Ninety, we ground trust in three elements:

• Character: Are you aligned with our Core Values and operating with integrity?
• Competency: Can you consistently do what you commit to, with the skill and reliability your Seat requires?
• Connection: Do you build strong working relationships rooted in shared values, mutual respect, and a culture people want to be a part of?

Trust is earned over time through consistent behavior. It’s reinforced through feedback (or as I like to say, feedforward) and results. High-trust cultures aren’t accidental — they’re intentional. When trust is grounded in character, competency, and connection, it becomes the foundation for high-performance teams.

How Agency Actually Works

This is where it all comes together. Agency isn’t a declaration. You can't just speak it into existence. It’s a capacity — our ability to make meaningful decisions, initiate action, and own outcomes. And like any capacity, it can be built if you understand what shapes it.

There are three main forces that drive agency:

1. Personal wiring: Natural strengths, as revealed by Kolbe
2. Environment: Clarity, alignment, agreements
3. Progress: Experience, feedback loops, accumulated wins

When all three are present, agency expands. People feel empowered because they are empowered. They have the instincts, support, and proof that they can make contributions that matter.

But when any of these is missing, agency shrinks. People default to waiting, hiding, or blaming. Not because they lack ambition, but because the system isn’t enabling meaningful contribution.

As founders, our job is to create systems where agency thrives. Not just by talking about empowerment but by designing for it. By aligning skill with wiring. By tying responsibility to outcomes. By grounding trust in character, competency, and connection.

This Is the Real Work

Ideas are easy to share and they can spark meaningful reflection, but turning them into systems that last is the real Work.

Building agency requires more than belief. It means creating environments where work is aligned with how your people are wired. Where progress defines responsibility. Where trust is grounded in consistency and action.

This isn’t theory. It’s how you shape a culture where agency is embedded, supported, and reinforced. Do this well, and you’re not just building a company — you’re building a resilient team capable of growing and adapting long after you’re gone.

And if you want help doing that, well, that’s why we built Ninety. We’ll give you the tools that turn principles into practice — and your growing business into a company that leaves a legacy.