How to find personal freedom and realize self-worth in a DAO?
As DAOs evolve, various structures and practices will rise and fall, but culture shapes individuals and their behaviors, and it also determines whether this movement will thrive.Author: Siddhearta, The SeeDAO
Translator: yoki
The transition from traditional companies to decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) comes with a shift in power structures. If you feel like a machine in your job, lacking self and freedom, perhaps it's time to give yourself and a DAO a chance. Power dynamics are inherent in every organization, influencing how we work together. Initially, organizations were established to create new products and solve interesting problems, but collaboration is often difficult. Early organizations frequently used coercion to control and manipulate others. Typically, a core individual or small group would be responsible for all decisions within the organization, and obeying the will of these core figures was the norm.
Today, most traditional organizations have gradually evolved to democratize power and ownership. However, a common phenomenon is that planning and decision-making occur at the upper levels of the organization, even though most actual work happens at the grassroots level. We still refer to such organizations as centralized because they secretly concentrate decision-making, permission, and ruling power.
An unspoken view about centralized organizations is that lower levels need direction—they need to be told what to do and how to do it; they cannot self-manage. Your leaders must supervise you; they do not believe you can do your job, nor do they trust you to have autonomy.
In many ways, employees belong to the organization: they hire you, set your deadlines, and if your output does not meet their expectations, they have the right to fire you.
Once you relinquish your power, you can only work like a machine. You may have ideas on how to improve things, but your suggestions are often ignored. People expect you to behave like a professional, wearing a mask of conformity, leaving your personal life and self-expression at home.
Giving up your power and conforming to the status quo of traditional companies results in working for the sake of work, trading time and energy for a paycheck. Among other things valued in our culture, we try to reclaim our power and dignity. Yet, in a culture of materialism, there often arises endless consumption and a sense of never being satisfied, deepening feelings of scarcity and powerlessness. Ultimately, you will chase fame and fortune, striving for promotion, as these are the ways to maintain your power and value in modern society.
For a long time, people have traded power for a sense of security. Due to limited or no ownership within organizations, we willingly submit to the system and accept this transaction: I give you time and energy, and you provide me with a safe and reliable future. Over time, members of society have relinquished responsibility for their own lives, instead obeying commands and maintaining the status quo.
1: The Era of DAOs
Decentralized autonomous organizations are often described as organizations owned by the community. Decentralization means there is no central authority or leadership to control or guide all decisions, resulting in a flatter organization with fewer hierarchies. The goal of decentralization is based on the fundamental principle that everyone has power, with decision-making, permission, and ownership being distributed.
By taking power away from the centralized faction and distributing it to the entire community, DAOs empower everyone: to step up, propose new ideas, hold each other accountable, solve challenges, and take ownership. In BanklessDAO, there is a consensus that governance is everyone's responsibility, meaning everyone is expected to participate in the decision-making process.
To enable people to use their power most effectively, DAOs also need to be transparent and permissionless. Transparency is a prerequisite for decentralization; when people have the power to make decisions, they need access to information to do so. Transparency can take many forms: sharing public ledgers, open-source code, and distributed information systems. With everything in the public eye, accountability is clearly defined, making it easier for us to take responsibility for our actions.
DAOs are also permissionless, meaning everyone has equal rights. There are no gatekeepers limiting or granting your permissions. It is this permissionless nature of DAOs that gives people agency, meaning they have power and can use that power now.
For the first time in history, DAOs propose a new principle that may serve as the ultimate answer to coordination failures: ownership. By fully leveraging the decentralized, transparent, and permissionless characteristics of DAOs, power is no longer exchanged but exercised and seized.
2: Reclaim Your Power
When we join an organization or collective, we often overlook the importance of our existence and the impact of our contributions. We frequently fail to understand how our choices and actions affect and shape our own and the collective experience. It is crucial how we present ourselves; our modes of expression leave an impression. The collective actions of a group of individuals determine whether a movement will develop into a revolution.
Working in a DAO is like entering a dance hall. When you step in, you feel a general vibe, and you will face the following choices:
Diver: Watching and learning from the sidelines.
Contributor: Joining the dance.
Leader: Stepping into the open space and trying to lead.
Diving is an effective choice. Putting aside judgments about what you should do, diving is often the most reasonable approach. You need time to find your direction, connect with the vibe, learn how people dance here, and communicate with some individuals to build trust and rapport. Diving allows you to observe and learn, taking time to find your comfort zone before stepping onto the dance floor. However, the presence of divers may also deepen the fears, uncertainties, and self-doubt of less confident dancers. Divers may validate the fears of contributors: Should I dance? Am I a good dancer? / Yes, I agree! Diving in a DAO is the early stage of the onboarding process.
Contributors are those who join the dance. They may jump right in or start with a two-step. Either way, they are dancing. Contributors create a chemical reaction with the atmosphere; they strive to contribute and show up on time, even when tired. Those dancing on the floor are experiencing an infinite game of leading and following, joining and leaving. Contributors need to be in sync with the music and those around them; otherwise, everything will quickly fall apart.
Occasionally, during the dance, the atmosphere may change, and part of the dancers may exit the floor, creating a gap waiting to be filled. This situation requires a leader to step into the open space, initiate new attempts, or do better. Others will follow their lead; failure will not affect their reputation, and the worst-case scenario is simply being pushed off the dance floor. So when a gap or opportunity arises, who will step into the dance floor to lead?
In a DAO, these three scenarios are always happening simultaneously. Some are watching and learning from the sidelines, some are dancing to the beat, and gaps are appearing waiting to be filled by the next leader.
Internally, we also gradually play the roles of diver (learner), contributor, and leader. We browse channels and forums, learning while listening to others' conversations. We raise our hands to contribute ideas for projects. Sometimes, when we see an opportunity or a problem, we begin to find solutions, at which point we face the choice of whether to become a leader.
The power exercised and distributed in a DAO is agency. You choose your adventures, reclaim your power, and vote with your actions. In a DAO, just like in life, how you present yourself is particularly important. With the freedom of self-expression, you will face a vague question: what will you do with it?
Everyone seeks freedom, which is one of the core values of modern society. However, learning how to live freely is not an easy task; we have not truly been trained on how to do this well or correctly. DAOs give us the opportunity to explore our freedom and agency within a community that recognizes these values, and this freedom is supported by principles. Layers of control, manipulation, and bureaucracy have been stripped away, replaced by the fact that we all have power in this dance.
3: Exercising Power
If our existence and self-presentation in a group are important, then the question arises: how do we exercise our power in a DAO? In a DAO, power is decentralized and distributed, meaning every individual in a project or team will participate in the decision-making process. This can seem overwhelming because if everyone is involved, how are decisions made?
Participation Rules
Every DAO follows its own decision-making guidelines, but there are many commonalities. The foundational layer of the organization manages the treasury and executes decision-making rules. Although some DAOs use smart contracts, most DAOs are actually self-managed organizations that rely on governance documents and team structures to define rules. Even without smart contracts executing decisions, there will be no individual or centralized authority controlling decision-making and fund allocation.
Realizing Self-Worth in Decision-Making
As a DAO member, you can choose to exercise your power in the decision-making process. You can choose to read proposals, provide feedback to others, write proposals based on your ideas, or offer solutions to problems. Speak up; your voice matters.
DAOs have different decision-making models. Any member can propose new ideas or changes. Proposals can be based on consensus decision-making, suggested decisions, or approved by soft and hard consensus.
Generally, your proposal needs to include a purpose and rationale, outline financial impacts, and clarify participants and execution methods. The proposal process requires a discussion and revision period, during which relevant parties and members are invited to provide feedback, followed by voting to gather consensus.
During the discussion and revision period, proposers need to recognize that while they must remain open to feedback and seek others' suggestions, not all feedback needs to be incorporated into the final proposal. It is important to understand that consensus does not mean the initial proposal must be changed to include everyone's ideas; rather, you must maintain an open attitude to accept feedback and move forward. If a proposal does not receive principled objections, you need to accept that it may not work, but things can always be revisited and modified later.
/Most DAO decisions do not require consensus—they require satisfaction.
/Do not ask everyone if they like a particular idea; instead, ask if they think trying the idea is too risky, and then let those with negative responses propose solutions, allowing the group to have more iterations and fewer obstacles.
In a DAO, you will often hear the term "consensus." Everyone can voice their opinions and has the freedom to participate in the proposal process and discussions, but there will not be a decision that everyone agrees on. Consensus is the line that everyone agrees upon; you need to establish participation rules for consensus and adhere to them strictly.
The proposal process grants ownership and responsibility to proposers and teams. It fosters initiative and encourages team members to take responsibility for outcomes. The proposal process may seem time-consuming, but it also creates community, cultivates humility in leaders, promotes learning, and is expected to lead to better decisions, and the process can be enjoyable.
Culture of Leadership
Even with the decentralization and distribution of power in DAOs, hierarchies naturally form based on skills, personal traits, social capital, and reputation. These are neither the power dynamics of traditional companies nor centralized decision-making. Leaders in DAOs emerge in various opportunities, such as designing better systems, developing new products, or helping new members level up. Leaders must lead by example, inspire their teams, and strive to understand the art of collaboration.
/I believe DAOs are organizations full of leadership because everyone here is a leader. "A leader is someone who knows what to do next" is a profound concept that can even change the world.
/There are no roles like CEO in a DAO (at least there shouldn't be). So how do you lead when no one is in charge? "A leader is someone who knows what to do next." Here are three key DAO leadership activities that are almost always useful and necessary.
As DAOs evolve, various structures and practices will rise and fall, but culture shapes people and their behaviors, determining whether the movement will thrive.
4: Be the Master of Your Life
DAOs give you the expectation that you can reclaim your agency and then ownership by realizing your self-worth. You hold the key to the life you envision. Sovereign individuals must learn to reclaim their freedom with purpose. This newly acquired freedom and power may initially lead to confusion; there are so many things you can do, and your attention and energy can be directed in many places. So how do you prioritize the energy you invest? When can you say "yes," and when should you say "no"?
Despite being attracted to the values of this freedom and power, it remains challenging for people to step up, express themselves, and explore. DAOs empower you with this power, but you must take responsibility for your learning and personal development, as well as for your decisions and actions. You may make mistakes along the way, but that's okay; everyone does.
We believe you will learn and contribute. We believe you will apply your skills, develop your talents, and continuously upgrade and grow. We also believe that when you see a gap and the opportunity to lead appears before you, you will step into the open space and become that leader.
