Why The Individual Is The New Hero Of Business

The individual has become the most important asset in any organization…

… yet the individual human being is not really on the radar.

I want to raise some questions about the „bubbling“ topic of New Ways of Working and the one that is right in the midst of it: the individual human being. Why is new ways of working so pressing at the moment?

Lots of Gallup reports indicate that „employees are not engaged“, „don’t feel motivated“, „are stressed“, „lack perspective“, … and many other negative. On the other side companies say that they are lacking good resources, good people are leaving, have increasing numbers of burnout cases. And at least for some European countries the sickness days of the workforce are increasing. I have read several articles as well that all is the „fault of lacking leadership“ or managers don’t do their job.

Why?

In my opinion the main factor in all these equations, statistics, reports and numbers is simply forgotten: the individual human being.

Each human being is unique. An individual with potentials, capabilities, behaviors, values, beliefs, liking and disliking and so on. Whilst the society, schools and universities try to streamline and uniform the human being so that it is a perfect workforce these individual differences are pushed in the background or the subconscious. Yet, these differences are still there and are over time boiling under the surface.

Questions and Ideas

What if the human being is brought back into the spotlight? What if the individual potentials would come to the foreground and would be used by the person? Would that person feel tired and bored of using his talents or would this person be in his flow? Would it be less or more effort to lead such a person? Would this person create good or bad results? Many questions to which – in my humble opinion – the answers are quite obvious.

Imagine this: Every person is allowed to develop their individuality already during their education. Every individual may later develop and unfold in their job with ease, because the job that the person is doing corresponds perfectly with their abilities and talents. Then work is no longer a process of struggle, hardship and adjustment. Then work no longer leads to sickness and burnout but inspires and motivates.

And as a company or a leader of a company you might ask yourselves:

Wouldn’t it be great and completely in tune with the times, if every person could develop according to their individual talents and potentials, and every person could pursue a profession that exactly matches their talents? Wouldn’t it be great to find the „right“ person for a specific requirement, rather than „pushing” a less appropriate person „into a job profile“. In order to encourage people to develop what they are, one must first recognize what makes them unique.

If every person has the opportunity to develop in accordance with their real talents, then the overall result will be more creative, productive, and therefore more economically successful.

When I came across the „Freedom Sculpture“ from Zenos Frudakis this reminded me very much of the situation we are in. The human being is trapped within society and all its facets. And it is gluey, so hard to escape. But the human being wants to be free. And once it found its freedom, happiness and joy kick in.

How can this be achieved?

One might say: that is not possible and would cost a fortune of money. It would take too long. It’s not what we want. Is it?

Companies already try to do it. I was part of it. Trainings, internal education, ratings and development plans. So lots of effort is already spent on it. Is it fruitful? Personally I had uncountable numbers of such trainings and assessments. I even did once a math to calculate the money the company spent on my trainings. Yes, the trainings were good, no doubt. And they made sense in the business context but not for me as an individual human being.

Every conventional analysis of human potential and every personality test is based on the assumption that one can draw conclusions regarding the behavior and the potentials of a person from answering a questionnaire. Some methods compare the individual results with empirically researched normative values of the population and make statements based on deviations from the norm. Depending on the quality of the questionnaire methodology used, the results are more or less meaningful. When asking questions, I will always get answers that result from a person’s respective socialization, and these answers will also depend on the current state of mind of the subject. Or these answers are simply given by the person based on the assumptions what the other side might want to hear/read or get as a result (think about job interviews or job application tests).

And yes, there is a different approach.

Find each persons „Genius“. The Genius describes the talents of an individual, the very combination of character traits and talents that make each human being unique and enable individual success. „Success“ by definition is: „the achievement of self-defined goals“. By finding these unique facets of an individual there are 2 benefits: for the individual and for the employer.

The Individual will

• Become aware of all his capabilities and potentials.
• Understand his talents and skills
• Understand his preferred team role, his preferred way of leading and being led
• Understand his intrinsic decision-making process
• Become aware of his development potential

The Employer (in this case the managers) will

• Become aware of the specific way the individual operates
• Understand how the individual works best in a team or is working better alone with some touchpoints
• Understand which communication and which energy motivates the person
• Understand his preferred way of being led

It is all about “surfacing” the hidden, making both sides understand each other better.

As mentioned above, each human being is unique and should be treated according to the unique aspects. And there is an “easy” way to find it: by looking at the design of a human being.

The Types of Human Beings

Based on the design there are different types of human beings. And I want to explain the three main types since they represent the majority of all human beings: Initiators, Builders and Advisors.

The Initiator / Innovator

The Initiator, making up 8% of the population, needs freedom to bring originality and inspiration forward. Such a type is here to initiate, get things started, “get the ball rolling” and bring new ideas and concepts into the world. Such a type has the incredible gift and ability to act independently, to initiate action, and impact others. However, they are not here to ‚do the doing‘ and need the other types to bring things to fruition.

They may be perceived as unpredictable making others uncomfortable which can and often does lead to others trying to control them. Initiators are at ease with solitude and manifesting what they want for themselves. This is their natural way and they don’t require outside assistance.

When controlled by others, they can become very angry, either with others or turn the anger inward on themselves. Their interactions then become either angry and rebellious or passive and accommodating. What they want most is to know whether anyone will respond or be enlivened by their impact. This underlying pressure to impact, to make things happen is the key to fulfilling their purpose.

If they are unaware of their type, they may find themselves feeling angry more often than not and feeling resistance from everyone around them. It can often make them feel like misunderstood outsiders. They are highly sensitive and can feel this resistance in many forms and feelings depending upon circumstances. Rejection, lack of respect, lack of politeness, trying to control them, trying to stop them, not informing them, telling them what to do. Threatening them if you don’t do that then I’m going to do this – ultimatums feel terrible for them as they only want to be left alone to do what they want when they want to do it.

Informing | Being Informed

The simplest way for Innovators to avoid feeling this resistance is to first ‚inform‘ others before taking action or speaking. This does not come easily to them as they are designed to be very independent and focused on doing their own thing. They are often confused about why anyone would be interested in what they are doing as they go about their business. Since their energy is pushing outward, it impacts everyone around them. Like a glass of water submersed in a bowl of water forces the water away if directly set in the water. Yet if the glass is ‚tipped‘ on its side, the water surface tension is broken and the water flows easily around the glass. When they ‚inform‘ others, before they move into action, this has the effect of ‚tipping‘ the glass – ‚tipping‘ others off to their movements thus releasing the pressure and tension allowing the conversation or action to flow.

Innovators also need to be informed about what is happening around them especially if it affects them. This will help them feel seen for who they really are and if they aren’t informed and are surprised with information, they may be angry that they didn’t know sooner.

Initiators have a vision for the world and pick up subtle information from the environment around them and are then ‚moved‘ by what they sense and need to inform those around them about what needs to be done. Their energy is ‚moved‘ to impact those around them ‚knowing‘ THIS is the thing that needs to be initiated for the benefit of all. They can’t push this and may have to inform again at different times until others are ready and able to ‚respond‘ to the initiation and have the energy to do the necessary work as the Innovator doesn’t have the energy to carry the effort through to the end.

Anger | Peace

When an Initiator is feeling angry, it is an indicator that they are not ‚informing‘ others about what they are doing and are feeling resistance or being rejected. Or it could be that those around them haven’t informed them of vital information, meaning any information you have to share that affects them. They will feel very left out if they are not informed and this is another way they can feel rejected or ignored.

Their natural healthy state is to find peace. They enjoy time alone as it helps them stay in touch with themselves and unwind the energy they pick up from others. This is their natural signature.

Acceptance | Resistance

When Initiators are not aware of how their energy signature works, and they’re meeting continual resistance they can become ‚compliant‘. Many of them turn their anger inward and hide their true impact for fear of further resistance. This is like watching a powerful black panther become someone’s mollified pet cat dressed up in silly clothing in order to reduce their impact and ‚fit in‘.

Builders

Builders make up 70% of the population and hold the life force of the planet in their design. They are the only type that have the Energy Resource defined, consistently supplying a steady stream of energy to get the work done. All other types have an inconsistent, unreliable‘ energy resource making the builder much sought after and sometimes misused.

Builders can be experienced by others as open, warm, magnetic and enveloping, like an energetic hug. They are designed to ‚do the doing‘ when it is correct for them. Many Builders, especially if they are unaware of their design, will also do work that isn’t correct for them or their current energy levels. This can lead to frustration, exhaustion and even burnout.

Keys to being a Builder and experiencing great satisfaction in life: „Wait to Respond“ & „Do what you Love and Love what you do!“

It is all about being able to really trust our body intelligence and for Builders, this is listening to their gut response to what is coming to them all day long. Our tendency is to ignore these signals and try to ‚force things‘ or ‚go out and make things happen‘ instead of waiting to see what comes to us that we can respond to. This can be challenging to tap into and may be easier said than done since many of us have been conditioned to ‚do what we’re supposed to do‚.

Frustration | Satisfaction

If Builders are experiencing frustration, they can take that as feedback that something isn’t right – either the decision they made was not in their best interest or the timing is off. Builders naturally draw people and opportunities to them when they relax and wait for something to come to them that they can respond to. Their gut response will tell them what they have energy for and help them set really clear boundaries. Those boundaries protect their health and guide them to the right opportunities meant for them.

Classic Builders take a step-by-step approach, getting the work done, one step at a time. They need to complete the step they are on before moving to the next step and often the next step doesn’t become clear until the step they are on is nearing completion. And they need to be asked again at each step if their energy is still available to continue.

When Builders enter into work by following their gut response, they can commit their consistent, steady energy to the task at hand. If they are allowed to do the work they love, their energy is lightened and can last for long hours, regenerating their energy resource instead of depleting it.

When they commit to doing work because they think they ’should‘ do it, or feel pressured by their leaders to ‚get it done‘ no matter what, without any respect for their unique way of working, this will surely lead to burnout and exhaustion.

Best Use of Classic Builders‘ Energy

Asking a Classic Builder questions that they can respond with a ‚Yes or No‘ will help them know what they can commit their energy to. Giving them the ability to follow their gut response (and wait for clarity), will ensure that the timing is correct for the work they are about to do, or not.

Renegotiating the work to be done, as each step comes to completion allows the Builder to stay tapped into their energy resource and know whether or not they are going to be able to commit their energy to that next step. This will lead to much more satisfaction for the Builder and regenerate them for the next step when the timing is right.

Advisors

Advisors are approximately 21% of the population and they are here to ‚lead and guide‘ the process and help direct the energy of the Builders and work best one-on-one. They have a keen insight and very focused energy that allows them to clearly see what the Builders can’t and that is how to make the most effective use of their energy. This is the ‚advice‘ and knowledge they have to share but it isn’t always well accepted…

In order for Advisors to have their guidance and advice ‚heard‘, they first need to be ‚recognized‘ as one who can guide and advise and then be ‚invited‘ to share their wisdom. This is when they’ll have the greatest effect on others. If they don’t have this ‚opening‘ to deliver their wisdom, it will fall on deaf ears and be wasted energy.

Keys to being an Advisor and experiencing success in life: „Wait for Recognition and an Invitation“

Advisors are naturals at mastering systems and the best way for them to do this is to follow their curiosity and whatever it is that interests them in life. Trusting this process of following their unique decision-making strategy will lead them to exactly what they need to focus on that they’ll need in the future. As they follow their curiosity, they naturally want to share what they’re learning spreading the word about the subject and becoming recognized as an expert. This is when the invitations to share their wisdom start to show up.

Since Advisors are big picture and future oriented and see things that others don’t they are often waiting for others to catch up to them. Relaxing into this way of being (observing) will allow them to be ready with their sage advice when the timing is right. It can take a lot of patience to wait and it can also be relieving to know that they don’t have to (actually can’t ) do anything else that would be more effective than waiting.

Bitterness | Success

It can be challenging to be able to ’see‘ what needs to be done and want to offer your valuable advice to others and yet not be heard. Wondering why no one is taking your advice, or being told that you’re being ‚bossy‘ or having your advice ignored or rejected can feel awful, be confusing and lead to bitterness. Consider this, the Advisor’s energy is penetrating and when requested, it’s great but when it is not requested it can feel really bad.

Taking your time to follow your interests and master the systems you’re interested in allows you to relax and enjoy yourself and eventually be recognized by others as someone who can guide and ‚advise‘ others in that system. This is what leads to your success.

Advisors in the Workplace

Advisors are here to lead and guide the process and the people and are most effective one-on-one. They are not here to ‚do the doing‘ as they don’t have the consistent energy resource of the Builders. Advisors are the masters of systems and know how they work and how to guide others through them. They are great at future planning and are able to see the bigger picture and how best to utilize the energy of small or large groups and work best when they can advise each person in the group individually. If you have an Advisor leading, guiding or running your business, you’re fortunate as they can see how to best utilize the energy of others.

Best use of the Advisor’s Energy

Since the Advisor’s energy is inconsistent, they really need the flexibility to rest when they feel the need. They are often much more efficient in how they get work done because they have to conserve their energy so they work in bursts when they have the energy. They can get more done than others in a shorter period of time. Napping is a great practice for them as their ability to sleep at night will vary as well. Some nights they may only get a few hours

Why is this important?

By reading the above you might understand now that just the three types of human beings are very different. And ideally the different types are mixed in a team. A team of Builders alone will miss the direction coming from an Initiator and the advice from an Advisor. Advisors only will not know what to advise on. And Initiators only, will create ideas and have no one executing them to success.

And all of that is not rocket science. The tool for such an assessment is right there and can be used without tremendous effort.

Roman Schnyder and I are experienced in it and just by understanding our own types (ok, and there is a little bit more to it 😊), we have found our energy force: to support individuals and companies in identifying the potential of the human being: for a successful and joyful life of a human being and the incorporation of it in the business world.

Curious now? Or do you think this is all nonsens and it sounds weird?

BUT: what if this is a possibility to really understand yourself and your workforce as human beings with all their traits, potentials and capabilities? Isn’t that what you are looking for?

Explore it with a small team. Hear about it, see it and feel it. You have nothing to lose and lots to win.

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