Episode 7: The Untold Story of Team Building | Wednesday Wisdom with Mazi Mutafa
Welcome to episode 7 of Wednesday Wisdom. In this episode our host and Executive Director of Words Beats and Life, Mazi Mutafa, discusses how to build an effective team.
How do you build the right team and decide on the best leadership model for your organization, nonprofit, or creative business? In this episode of Wednesday Wisdom, Mazi Mutafa breaks down the essentials of choosing a legal structure(nonprofit, foundation, trust, S Corp, C Corp, sole proprietorship, partnership) and explores how to organize your team for long-term success.
We cover three major leadership models:
Traditional Leadership: Clear hierarchy, fast decision-making, accountability.
Collective Leadership: Flat structure, inclusion, shared decision-making, equity.
Shared/Distributed Leadership: Hybrid flexibility, collaboration, preventing burnout.
Plus, we highlight other approaches like servant leadership, rotating leadership, and adaptive leadership—and when each works best.
You’ll also learn how to assess your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT), evaluate what your budget allows, and determine the right mix of volunteers, interns, contractors, part-time, seasonal, and salaried staff.
Drawing from hip-hop culture, Mazi introduces the concept of the cipher—a sacred circle of creativity, collaboration, and shared leadership. Discover how building a “cipher culture” at work can spark innovation, inclusion, psychological safety, continuous feedback, and creativity.
Whether you’re launching a grassroots movement, growing a nonprofit, or leading a creative business, this episode gives you practical tools and cultural insights to design a leadership model that fits your vision.
New episodes every Wednesday at 4pm EST / 3pm CST / 1pm PST
