📍 Status: Senior executive safeguarding mission, values, and sustainability
🎁 You Earned: 400+ hours, exceptional stewardship, unanimous trust
The Guardian is a senior executive who safeguards the organization's mission, values, and long-term sustainability. Guardians are entrusted with protecting what Built By DAO stands for—ensuring the organization remains true to its purpose while navigating challenges.
🎯 Activities
Activity
Description
🛡️ Protect
Safeguard mission and values
🏛️ Govern
Ensure organizational integrity
💡 Guide
Provide strategic counsel
⚓ Stabilize
Maintain organizational health
⚖️ Key Difference from Anchor
⚓ Anchor
🛡️ Guardian
Domain ownership
Organizational stewardship
Delivery focus
Protection focus
Program leadership
Governance leadership
Operational excellence
Organizational integrity
🛡️ Protective Functions
Function
Description
🎯 Mission alignment
Ensure decisions serve mission
⭐ Values protection
Guard organizational values
⚠️ Risk oversight
Monitor organizational risks
⚖️ Stakeholder balance
Protect all stakeholder interests
✅ Must Do
🏛️ Serve on Leadership Council
🛡️ Protect organizational mission and values
📈 Provide strategic oversight
⚖️ Ensure governance integrity
👥 Safeguard member interests
🟡 May Do
🚫 Exercise veto on mission-critical matters
🌐 Represent organization at highest levels
📈 Shape major strategic direction
🎓 Mentor future senior leaders
💡 Advise on critical decisions
❌ Cannot Do
🎯 Act alone on major decisions
🏛️ Override collective Leadership Council
🚫 Bypass governance processes
📝 Make commitments without approval
🏛️ Leadership Council
Function
Responsibility
📈 Strategic decisions
Vote on major direction
👁️ Executive oversight
Monitor performance
📜 Policy approval
Ratify major policies
🚨 Crisis response
Lead in emergencies
🛡️ Protective Responsibilities
Protection
Mechanism
📉 Mission drift
Veto authority on misaligned decisions
⚠️ Value erosion
Culture monitoring and intervention
👥 Member interests
Advocate and protect
🔮 Sustainability
Long-term planning and oversight
💰 EQTBLT Rates
Work Type
EQTBLT Range
📈 Strategic leadership
100-150/hour
🏛️ Governance duties
110-160/hour
🚨 Crisis management
130-200/hour
🎯 Major initiatives
120-180/hour
🛡️ Guardians earn the highest operational rates for their critical responsibility.
🗳️ Governance Access
Capability
Access
🗳️ Voting
✅ Yes, 1.20× weight
📝 Proposals
Highest-level proposals
🏛️ Leadership Council
Full voting member
🚫 Veto authority
On mission-critical matters
👔 Executive decisions
All major decisions
🚀 Path to Steward (Level 10)
Your Progress: 🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢 Level 10 of 10
✅ Requirements
🌟 The Steward Difference
Stewards are the rarest level—only those who have demonstrated extraordinary long-term commitment and organizational impact. Most Guardians serve at this level for their entire tenure.
🛡️ Stewardship
Competency
Application
🎯 Mission protection
Guard organizational purpose
⭐ Values preservation
Maintain cultural integrity
🔮 Long-term thinking
Consider generational impact
⚖️ Stakeholder balance
Serve all constituencies
🏛️ Governance
Competency
Application
⚖️ Policy judgment
Make sound policy decisions
👁️ Oversight
Monitor organizational health
✅ Accountability
Hold organization accountable
🔍 Transparency
Ensure open governance
🚨 Crisis Leadership
Competency
Application
🧘 Calm under pressure
Lead through difficulty
⚡ Decisive action
Act when needed
📢 Communication
Keep everyone informed
🔄 Recovery planning
Guide return to stability
⚖️ Guardian vs Strategist
At Level 9, both paths are senior executive:
🛡️ Guardian (9A)
📊 Strategist (9B)
Operations/governance focus
Strategy/innovation focus
Protection orientation
Growth orientation
Stability and integrity
Vision and transformation
Risk management
Opportunity identification
🤝 Organizations need both perspectives at senior levels.
🧠 The Guardian Mindset
Guardians think in generations:
👔 Other Leaders
🛡️ Guardians
"What do we need now?"
"What does the mission require?"
"This quarter's results"
"This generation's legacy"
"Our team"
"Our community"
"Success metrics"
"Mission fulfillment"
💡 Tips for Success
🎯 Hold the mission - Never lose sight of why we exist
🔮 Think generations - Build for those who come after
👂 Listen widely - All voices matter
⭐ Act with integrity - Be the example
🙏 Stay humble - Service, not status
🚀 Next Steps
🛡️ Demonstrate mission stewardship
🏛️ Build governance expertise
🚨 Develop crisis leadership
🎓 Mentor future senior leaders
Ready to advance? Steward elevation requires unanimous Steward endorsement.