What if your job didn't control your life? Brazilian CEO Ricardo Semler practices a radical form of corporate democracy, rethinking everything from board meetings to how workers report their vacation days (they don't have to). It's a vision that rewards the wisdom of workers, promotes work-life balance — and leads to some deep insight on what work, and life, is really all about. Bonus question: What if schools were like this too?

Ricardo Semler: How to run a company with (almost) no rules

How to run a company with (almost) no rules

Democracy at work: employees design jobs, set pay, and have leaders evaluated, fostering a culture of trust and innovation.

Embracing 'terminal days' can radically shift perspectives on work-life balance, prompting actions typically reserved for life's end.

A company stripped of traditional constraints fosters true democracy, allowing personal salary setting and leader evaluations by teams.