Chapter eight: Building the bridge

A Being Entrepreneur accepts that it is 100% their responsibility to build the bridge into their client’s reality (versus expecting them to meet us halfway). This does not mean diluting our idea, so it’s more easily understood. Instead, we must access a next level of ingenuity, a place where we can reconcile our highest aspirations with their most basic needs. It’s when this bridge has been built, that tangible results finally start to flow.

It didn’t take long for two pilot clients to come on board. One of them was an innovative travel agency based in the Netherlands and the other was a Swiss based NGO. In both cases the data from the HQ survey revealed some very powerful insights.

The story that was emerging out of the analysis for the travel agency was showing a decrease in their willingness to experiment with new ideas. They had become more risk averse and the bold vision of the founders was no longer permeating throughout the rapidly expanding organization. As the diagram below clearly shows, finding a way to re-inspire the organization’s entrepreneurial roots, while maintaining the stability of their core business, was the key tension they needed to work with.

For the Swiss based NGO, the data revealed a slightly more uncomfortable truth. There seemed to be a gap between their Being and Doing. This was a group of highly aware individuals. They all had a wealth of experience and had invested significantly in their personal growth. In the data though we could see that this high individual awareness was both a potential strength AND weakness. On the one hand, people would look up to them as experts / wise men and women. This was of course an important asset for the consultancy work they do with senior business and political leaders. However, on the other hand, we observed lower scores in the area of Personal Development. It seemed that their expert status was keeping them from questioning themselves and embracing a learning mindset. It was a fascinating tension that we confronted them with when we presented their Heart Quotient House profile.

I remember the senior members of the group reacting in quite a skeptical and defensive way to these findings. However, the younger people were absolutely thrilled with these insights. They couldn’t believe how clearly the data was speaking to this intuitive knowing they had inside. In their heart they knew something wasn’t right but until now they had not been able to articulate it.

Both of these clients had experienced a similar kind of effect - the data was validating what their gut knew was true. We started to realize that the value of our proposition was to bring to the surface, and objectively measure, the more subtle organizational dynamics that we know are important but, until now, rarely get acted on. By making our intuitive knowing visible and measurable we could enable organizations to start having new conversations, new insights and ultimately new behaviors.

As a result of this piloting phase we picked up another important lesson that would change the way we talk about and position this work in the future. Even though the name “Heart Quotient” accurately described what we were doing, it was not the language that had the most traction with the people we were trying to serve. It was definitely easier to comprehend than the “Inner Voice” but still not relevant enough for the mainstream organizations we envisioned working with. Acknowledging and accepting this, once again, opened the way to more creativity. We asked ourselves how we can refer to this deeper work in a way that inspires our target group yet still aligns with the true essence of our approach?

Albert Einstein once said: “If I had an hour to solve a problem, and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 mins determining the proper question to ask...for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than 5 mins”.

This was absolutely true in our case. The alternative to the Heart Quotient name came instantly once we opened up to it. From then on, we would be referring to the assessment, and all the work related to it, as Human Potential Realization. The Heart Quotient score was now the Human Potential score. The official company name: Human Potential Development INC. and the brand we would position ourselves under: BEING at Full Potential.

Shortly after the pilot experiences I arranged to meet up with my friend and mentor from the corporate world. I was excited to share with her the big breakthroughs since our last chat when the HQ idea came up. She was amazed with all the progress and very intrigued with the two case studies we had just completed. She could see the possibilities to bring it into teams but first wanted to experience and better understand the work herself. So together with her HR Director, she signed up for the Human Potential certification training we had recently developed. This was a 4-week online course to enable like-minded coaches and Organizational development experts to become proficient in bringing the assessment and Human Potential methodology to their clients or within their organizations. We knew that for this work to expand in the world we had to create an open system where our partners could easily access the tools and resources, they needed to integrate Human Potential realization into their value proposition.

At the end of the course I remember having an extensive feedback session with my previous colleagues. They loved what we had developed but there was a missing piece that would have to be addressed before organizations like theirs could commit. She challenged us to find a way to connect the depth of the model with the things that keep leaders up at night. In other words, could we expand the House framework in a way that intuitively shows the interconnectedness of our deep human aspirations and the strategic priorities of organizations. Given our extensive experience in the corporate world we were well aware what those strategic priorities were. Every leader will agree that innovation, customer satisfaction, employee engagement and trustworthiness are critical drivers of the business. They easily acknowledge that excelling in these areas will automatically lead to breakthroughs in performance.

This triggered another wave of creativity resulting in what we now refer to as the ICEBERG model. With this framework we were able to distinguish between the visible and invisible drivers of a business. This made it much simpler to understand how the deeper human potential development work connects and enables the key business drivers that organizational leaders relate to.

In addition to telling a much more integrated story we also found a way to reconfigure the 83 questions so that the additional “above the water” organizational performance metrics could also be quantified. Was this the holy grail of organizational transformation?

My previous boss seemed to think so. During my next visit with her, approximately 6 years after I had resigned, everything clicked. Within minutes of showing her the iceberg and how we had broken down each of the organizational performance metrics into concrete phases of development that organizations could assess themselves on, she said “Yes”.

Example: breakdown of OPM “Inventiveness”

The bridge connecting our vision to her needs had now been built. Shortly thereafter, we signed a project with her newly formed Global Sustainability Team which consisted of a Human Potential assessment, individual debrief sessions with each team member and a 3-day workshop at their headquarters in Cincinnati.

For me personally, this was a profound moment of arrival. The lofty dream I had set for myself when I left the organization in 2010 had now become a reality. The circle was complete. Here’s an extract of the learnings we captured after the 3-day workshop. These lessons would continue to inform our work with future clients.

LESSON #1: Location is nothing, our BEING is everything

We can easily assume that this kind of deep work should happen well outside the confines of the day to day business environment. We therefore invest significantly in finding the "perfect" off-site location that we feel supports the deepening into our personal and collective growth. No doubt that a beautiful location can help to disconnect and inspire us to open up.

The problem with this approach is that our heightened state of BEING is associated with the environment in which it was created. Therefore, when participants head back to the office after the workshop they quickly revert back to old patterns and behaviors.

We have found that, when done correctly, it can be even more powerful to hold the workshop in the heart of the day to day business operations. Not only is this the best way to prepare people for post-workshop immersion, but it also creates a powerful "energetic" spill over into the rest of the office. People literally feel the ripples and are positively impacted by the vibes coming from the workshop space.

In order for this to work it helps to set clear guidelines on what is expected from the participants. We have found that two simple commitments create a solid foundation for introducing this work in any office environment:

• Privacy and confidentiality: even though the workshop room can be in the midst of the day-to-day business environment we must ensure that there is sufficient privacy to create the necessary safety for participants

• All participants commit to full engagement for the duration of the workshop. Staying in the office can increase the temptation to drop in and out of the program while keeping an eye on the business.

LESSON #2: Infuse mysticism but don’t keep it mysterious

It can be scary to bring in new practices and rituals like sitting in a circle with a candle at the center and adopting the use of a listening stick. Especially in the business context we easily assume this is taboo and that it will be rejected by workshop participants.

Our experience is proving the contrary. However, there is one big caveat. If we assume people will simply accept it and unhesitatingly go along with it then it probably will not work. However, if we openly acknowledge that we are doing things differently and clearly explain WHY we are doing it that way then the taboo is instantly removed. In doing so we can easily move these new practices from the esoteric realm to a deeper level of humanism.

For example, to help understand the reason for sitting together in a circle with a candle at the center we can tell the story of the Children's Fire - a decision making process predating the Mayans of Central America. These people established a deep democratic system of governance known as the Circle of Law and implemented a circular wisdom decision making structure, known as the Council, to facilitate this.

In the very center of this structure they placed a small fire which was to remind the eight pairs of representatives (or Chiefs as they were known) that the primary consideration should always be the continuation of life when making decisions of any kind. They called this seemingly insignificant fire, The Children’s Fire and lived by the simple principle: LIFE FIRST. To bring greater focus to our future generations, council members would hold the question, “what kind of world do we want our children, and our children’s children, to inherit?” before making any significant decisions. This system even inspired the original constitution of the USA.

Intentionally embodying this same spirit of service to future generations can be a powerful ritual to bring back into the organizational work of today.

LESSON #3: Invest in BEING, unleash the DOING

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts".

Henry David Thoreau

Taking quality time to "step into BEING" is an absolute prerequisite to any transformational workshop. This process of slowing down sharpens our individual and collective presence. As we practice mindfulness techniques, set collective standards of engagement, and get to know each other at a deeper level, it may feel like we are distracting ourselves from key business and organizational priorities. However, in reality this investment in BEING is creating the conditions for participants to access deeper levels of knowing (intuition) and transcend some limiting beliefs and assumptions they may have about the way things ARE or SHOULD BE.

Through this process we are preparing ourselves to look at the business and organizational challenges through a new lens. As Albert Einstein once famously said:

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them".

A. Einstein

By the end of day 1 (of a 2- or 3-day workshop), when our BEING is fully ignited and awareness heightened, we will experience an intense creative tension in the group. There will be an unstoppable urge to move our BEINGNESS into DOINGNESS. Like a spring that has been wound up and is ready to be released, we will be inspired to unleash our full creative potential on any task assigned to us. (for example creating a long term vision or purpose for the team, defining strategies and action planning, or crafting the new language and rituals that will shape the culture of the organization going forward.

When this DOINGNESS is coming from a place of deep BEINGNESS then it will feel effortless and efficient, while triggering a high level of commitment and alignment amongst workshop participants.

LESSON #4: Use Human Potential DATA to break open conversations and unlock new thinking

Prior to these discovery workshops each participant is invited to take the Human Potential Assessment. This gives us concrete data points on how well expressed the individual and collective potential is. Coming into the workshop there is typically a high level of curiosity and eagerness to dive into the findings. However, we have learnt that timing is everything when it comes to introducing the data into the conversation. It can have a significant impact on how it is interpreted and utilized.

"Most executives, many scientists, and almost all business school graduates believe that if you analyze data, this will give you new ideas. Unfortunately, this belief is totally wrong. The mind can only see what it is prepared to see".

Edward de Bono

For example, if we engage with the assessment results right from the beginning, without first elevating our state of BEING, then we will likely look at the data with an analytical mind and apply assumptions that simply reinforce our current reality. However, if we hold off sharing the data until the workshop participants have fully immersed in a heightened state of awareness, then they will also engage with the data and findings in more transformational ways. Rather than simply using their analytical mind, they now also approach the interpretation of findings in a more expanded, intuitive way. We have demonstrated over and over again that the insights ensuing from this approach have the potential to unleash, and sustain, a new wave of inspiration in the organization.

LESSON #5: No matter how profound the collective experience is it needs to be accompanied with on-going work at the individual level in order to sustain itself

This expansion of BEING that happens in most of our workshops and trainings typically opens the door to a collective expansion as well. Participants feel united in their journey and inspired to join forces around a collective cause. These are always extremely powerful moments of deep connection with each other and alignment to a greater purpose. It gives meaning to our lives, and in that moment, it is easy to step beyond our fears and trust the natural unfolding of the collective energy.

Although we have glimpsed the collective Gold and genuinely embraced the intention to make it happen, sooner or later our individual journey starts coming in the way. Our fears, that seemed irrational just a few days ago, are once again holding us back and drawing us into old patterns. Now the collective potential is put on hold while we take the next step on our individual journeys. So, we must learn to reconnect time and again: with ourselves, with others and with the collective. That requires enhancing our awareness and actually choosing to practice reconnecting. This will benefit our individual response ability to meet life in all its aspects and contribute to our individual and collective journey.

------

This incredible experience was a sign that we were now ready to confidently step into the organizational development (OD) playing field and position ourselves as credible Human Potential experts / transformation agents. Within the next couple of years our network of certified coaches grew exponentially and without much traditional marketing & sales effort, clients of all sizes and sectors signed up to work with us.

It was fascinating to observe how this deep human work had universal appeal. We attracted clients from Mexico, US, India, New Zealand and all across Europe. The depth of our approach seemed to effortlessly cut through the surface level differences (like race, gender, culture, religion etc...) and naturally connect us at a deeper human level (we all aspire for meaning, fulfillment and the full expression of who we are). Here are some examples of work we did between 2017 and 2019:

Human Potential coach training in Mexico to prepare a group of coaches and consultants for the deployment of the Human Potential Assessment within the National Banking Commission of Mexico (CNBV)

Various Human Potential certification trainings in India

Client workshops in the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and the UK.

Coach trainings in Netherlands and Switzerland

Human Potential Summits for innovation and sustainability

Yearly strategy meetings

The final confirmation that our work was now resonating with visionary leaders was when we received a spontaneous email from Laura Saldivar Luna in San Antonio Texas. As she was getting ready for her new role as Chief People Officer for a US based nonprofit organization, she came across the Being at Full Potential website and decided to reach out with the following message. Since then the relationship with this organization has flourished and they have now become one of our favorite clients.

My name is Laura Saldivar Luna. I work for an American education organization called Teach For America, which is a partner organization in the global network Teach For All.

In January of 2019, I will formally take on the role of Chief People Officer for my organization, responsible for all human capital work, organizational culture work, diversity and inclusion work, and the traditional human resources functions typically found in most organizations. We have ~1,800 employees who are responsible for delivering programmatic impact to 60,000+ members of our leadership network.

I’m using the next few months of 2018 to prepare myself for this new role. In my reading and writing this evening, I stumbled upon your website as I was searching for methodologies for measuring human potential. I’m very interested in learning more about your frameworks, methodology, and services. I’d also like to know if the training opportunity offered in the Netherlands next month is the type of experience well-suited for a novice to the model.

A little about me—I’ve worked for my organization for 13+ years and started as an entry-level employee. I currently work as an Executive Director of one of our regional sites, located in the city where I grew up (San Antonio, Texas, USA). I’m a wife and mother to two toddlers (ages 2 and 3), am a certified Yoga instructor (not currently teaching though) and am a member of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network. I’ve just come off of a couple of weeks of intensive training in a methodology for executive reinvention that focuses on an ontological approach to pursuing transformation. I’m currently obsessed with how we, as leaders, must be grounded in who we are BEING as opposed to our normal approach of focusing on the DOING. I want to make this a cornerstone of the strategy I pursue in my new role leading our People Team.

What I read on your website resonates with me, and I’m wondering if you have any materials, you’d be willing to share with me so I can learn more. While I have no doubt that you have no shortage of current and potential clients, the work I will soon take on as Chief People Officer of Teach For America will be a full commitment to BEING a transformational leader who develops other transformational leaders. I think we might have a lot in common!

Let me know how I can learn more about your work.

Laura