From 60 hrs/week firefighting
to 10 hrs/week mentoring the team
Shift from doer to leader, help team members do the best work of their lives,
and use the freed-up time to increase your impact.
Filled with practical tools, mindset shifts, and real stories
Based on 10 years of research and practical experience
Perfect for founders and managers at growing start-ups and SMEs
“This book is a treasure trove of valuable insights, presented in concise, easy-to-read chapters. What I appreciated most were the actionable tips and ready-to-use templates. I was able to implement new processes and workflows right away. I highly recommend it!”
—Yannick Bontinckx, co-founder & CEO, Ziggu
When people grow, everyone wins
My own start-up was growing fast, building over 2,500 websites in just a few years.
Yet, in 2016, it was on the brink of collapse. Our bank account went to zero 2 times in 2 years, team members broke under constant micromanagement and pressure, and my co-founder left.
With everything depending on me, I felt like a prisoner in my own company. The turning point came when I asked: “Would I love working at my own company as an employee?” The honest answer… no.
This led me on a quest:
How to design an environment that enables team members to do the best work of their lives?
The next 10 years, I scoured the research and tried everything in a few dozen companies. Over time, I learnt how to build teams that excel because of, not despite, their humanity.
The key is to give team members a platform for personal growth in service of the mission.
Develop people first, then the business develops itself.
This is how I went from 60 hrs/week firefighting to 10 hrs/week team mentoring, with better results:
The team shifted from near burn-out to consistently high engagement and creativity.
Customer satisfaction rose from 7.6 to 9.8 out of 10.
Financial results went from barely break-even to highly profitable.
As our case got featured in books, academic research, and even a documentary, people kept suggesting I write a book. Now it’s here. I don’t want a paywall to limit how far this book travels. That’s why you can get it at the listed price or “Pay What Feels Right”.
Precise, step-by-step tools for building a great team
Based on a decade of research and validation in dozens of fast-growing companies.
Written by an entrepreneur who has tried and tested everything in practice.
Company
Operating
System
&
Culture
Align entire company
on strategy and goals
Improve hiring, performance management, termination
Make better and
faster decisions
Design organizational structure, roles, responsibilities
Introduce optimal meeting cadence and formats
Improve trust, relationships and collaboration across departments
A book for entrepreneurial leaders
Who this book is for
Entrepreneurs and leaders of start-ups and small businesses,
as well as consultants and coaches who advise them.
Organizations applying these practices have seen inspiring results:
Teams shift from merely working hard to being deeply engaged
Customers feel understood and become raving fans
Companies grow profitably with less bureaucracy and more resilience
Leaders gain time to work on what truly matters to them
"Thanks to this method I have seen myself and my organization change in ways I didn’t really know were possible. We feel the impact every day. This book offers a process to let go of most of the control, enable people to take ownership, give them space to speak up, and grow in the organization. As a result, our organization is now less founder-led and more team-led."
—Niels Desot, co-founder and CEO of dear digital
"This book has given me immediate value with practical tools to start managing my company in a more productive way. All of which has been rooted in best practices from successful entrepreneurs around the world and tried and tested by Alexander in a real organization. I wholeheartedly recommend Building High-Impact Organizations if you want a happier team, more focus for yourself and a growing business."
—Jochen Boeykens, founder of Skindr and VC at Torus
"This book stands out for a reason: it bridges the gap between theory and practice with unusual precision. Many rely either on abstract models they’ve never applied or on anecdotal experience that lacks grounding in research. Here, those worlds come together, creating something far more impactful than either alone. That is exactly why this approach has worked for us where others have failed. And in working with Alexander Vuylsteke, this becomes tangible: he doesn’t just explain ideas, he demonstrates them in action, leading by example in his interactions with both me and the team."
—Pietjan Vandooren, co-founder and CEO of Rock.estate
"The practices in this book made an impact on our organization and culture from day one, that continues to increase! I would definitely recommend it.”
—Steven Van Den Ouweland,
co-founder and CEO of Distrilink
"For years, I wanted to build a company that would be a vehicle for growth for everyone involved while making myself operationally obsolete. This book gave me the practical tools to turn that vision into reality. The team stepped up, grew into leadership roles, increased profitability, and took ownership of the company. I stepped out of day-to-day management without disruption. What I especially appreciate is how the book connects the leader’s own development to the structures they put in place and the professional growth of the whole team, treating all three as part of the same process. A refreshing book in a world dominated by American business books, with every method personally tested by the author in fast-growing start-ups. I would not start or lead another company without applying this book from day one."
—Maxime Carpentier, late co-founder and former CEO of Zerocopy
"This book is a game-changer, offering clear frameworks for building a high-performing team. Within weeks, I saw noticeable shifts in team alignment and effectiveness. The combination of strategic depth and day-to-day tools makes it incredibly valuable.”
—Cobus Van Gheluwe,
founder and CEO of Funkey
Scaling a team is hard
Growing teams face all kinds of complexity and people issues:
Creating clarity & focus amidst chaos.
Maintaining team unity and collaboration across teams.
Escaping constant firefighting by leaders.
Hiring and retaining the right people.
As a result, leaders often feel conflicted and discouraged:
How can I create a high-performing team without ending up with a hypercompetitive, toxic culture?
Why does everything depend on me being present, radiating energy, and noticing what’s failing?
Where is the joy and fulfilment in this? Would I even want to work in the type of workplace I'm creating?
Learn how to grow more effortlessly
Paradox of Control: Why does tighter control over individual behavior often reduce an organization’s collective control?
Paradox of Engagement: Why do so many people feel disengaged at work, yet pour their energy into volunteering, learning piano…?
The insight:
Sustained growth in rapidly changing environments demands creativity and adaptability, not control.
Instead of treating teams like machines, the next generation of organizations embrace human nature and give team members a platform for personal growth in service of the mission.
This book shows you how.
Explore the leadership beliefs behind this method
What to expect on the inside
A new lens for understanding organizations.
Leadership practices that help people grow.
Simple practices for fostering customer orientation.
Tools for creating psychological safety and trust.
Energizing team meeting routines that promote candor and initiative.
A decision making process that empowers everyone to make swift decisions with sufficient input from others.
Feedback and accountability systems based on support rather than blame.
An organizational structure that combines cross-functional collaboration with functional excellence.
A compensation system that doesn’t depend on one person’s opinion and encourages self-development.
And much more…
About the author
Alexander Vuylsteke has been advising fast-growing start-ups on organization and leadership for over 10 years.
Earlier in his career, he worked as a consultant at Bain & Company, gaining deep exposure to organizational strategy.
He later founded, scaled, and exited his own company, giving him first-hand experience with the challenges entrepreneurs face. His start-up was featured as a case study in academic research, books, conferences, and a documentary exploring best-practice organizations.
Since then, he has worked with dozens of start-ups and scale-ups, both in hands-on leadership and as an advisor.
This book distills what he has learned so far from research and practice.
There’s a way to build teams that excel
because of, not despite, their humanity
Help spread it. Get the book. Tell a friend.