Learning to listen in the age of decentralized governance

Everywhere we look legacy systems are breaking down. Banks are collapsing, governments no longer represent the best interest of their people and trusted institutions have lost much of their credibility. At the same time, powerful AI has officially entered our day-to-day lives. We are getting a glimpse of how quickly it will outcompete much of human activity today.

We are at a point where the collective expansion of consciousness must accelerate for humanity to thrive, let alone survive. Only if we manage to access the vast amounts of unexpressed human potential will we be able to effectively tap into the power of these exponential technologies and harness them in service of the greater good.

2 options ahead

Option 1:

The status quo leads us down the path where concentration of power increases and AI evolves in ways that bring order and control to our lives. We will be told that restricting our personal freedoms is for the greater societal good. We will learn to accept this new way of life, and, in the best-case scenario, it will be comfortable and uncomplicated, which for some of us might feel like happiness.

For this scenario to become reality our collective consciousness must remain at the lower frequencies. It’s the consciousness of fear, judgment, victimhood, belonging that keeps us divided, and it’s exactly this division that makes us give our power away. The more we allow power to centralize into the hands of a few, the more likely this dystopian future awaits.

Option 2:

If we seize the moment, there is another path available to us, one that requires a collective shift into higher levels of consciousness. We must reach a tipping point where we move beyond surface level divisions, acknowledge our shared humanity, and embrace the frequencies that unite us as human beings. Accessing and expressing our capacity for love, compassion, forgiveness, as well as the inner strength and courage needed to speak up in these turbulent times, is key to reclaiming our power as responsible citizens and creators of our own destiny.

If we choose to travel down this path, we will learn the art of listening to each other, discover 3rd way solutions to our differences and access the full spectrum of our human potential. We will have reinvigorated our capacity for imagination, rebuilt trust in our intuition and reestablished connection to a higher power.

This is a future where the individual can be trusted to make decisions and govern with the best interest of humanity in mind. This is a future where chaos and uncertainty can be embraced and met with a presence that transforms and opens new doors. This is a future where AI is our friend, working in harmony to build a world we all want to be a part of.

Such a human-centric version of tomorrow may seem like a faraway dream, but the way I see it, we are already well on our way to ushering in this new reality, and Cardano is leading the way.

Cardano blockchain – making the world better for all

When I first came across this project in 2020, I had very limited understanding of the technology but there was a strong resonance to the project & community. Looking back now I understand why. I could relate to the inspiring vision of “banking the unbanked” and “connecting the unconnected”. I admired the commitment to decentralization and self-governance. I enjoyed watching this ecosystem build itself from the ground up, understanding the value of different projects and eventually participating in block validation. I witnessed a passionate community willing to engage in difficult conversations, collaborate across project lines and act as responsible stewards for the entire industry.

However, it wasn’t until the 2022 Cardano Summit in Switzerland that I started to see how I could uniquely contribute to this vibrant ecosystem. During Charles Hoskinson’s closing speech, he emphasized the importance of listening to each other as the key to successfully unlocking the power of self-governance. He expressed it as follows:

The thing we must master is to listen. The reason why governance is so difficult at its core is that we overvalue speaking and undervalue listening. If this is truly going to work, it’s not going to rest on our great tech. We’ve already proven we can do that. It’s not going to rest on the great community. We’ve already proven we have that. What we haven’t proven, and in some cases haven’t done so well on, is that we can listen to each other. That’s going to be the hard one. That’s the one we are all going to have to work on, myself included.

NFT project for deep listening and unleashing human potential

I remember leaving the summit knowing that the many years of working in human potential development had set us up to play a role in this new era of self-governance. Deep listening is at the core of the BEING at Full Potential approach when working with individuals, teams and organizations. Our workshops are designed to be generative spaces where each person’s contribution becomes a critical component of a bigger story that emerges. Over the years we have worked with Vanessa Jane Smith, a brilliant artist, who has the gift of listening to our deepest human yearnings and capturing them with language and symbols that speak directly to the heart. The depth of wisdom being generated in these pictures is not only incredibly useful as a follow up summary for the workshop participants but it’s also a rich source of artistic inspiration for all of us. Hundreds of these images are available.

This has sparked the idea to build an NFT project that incentivizes deeper listening within the Cardano ecosystem, and eventually also beyond. Each NFT is a combination of the art we have captured over the years and practical calls to action inviting us to experiment with deeper listening and reflect on the impact it has on the people around us.

We are also imagining an innovative way of using the blockchain technology to deploy and incentivize usage of these NFT’s. Instead of owning them we are building a mechanism that encourages sharing them so that deeper acts of listening can be multiplied throughout the ecosystem.

Once the NFT has been passed on a certain number of times (let’s say 10) and the associated stories have been collected, it will be put up for auction to whoever wants to own the art and invest in the positive impact it is having. The proceeds of the sale will then be distributed amongst the project team and all the people who have contributed to the initiative along the way. Hopefully making it a true win-win-win proposition.

It is exciting to have discovered a beautiful point of alignment between our mission to accelerate human potential development in the world and the exciting journey of growth that the Cardano ecosystem is on. We welcome any collaboration opportunities with the broader community to help turn this idea into reality and usher in a new era of governance that harnesses the creative potential of all of us.

Liberty of thought is the life of the soul. Voltaire

Decentralization, Blockchain & Human Potential Realization

Charles Hoskinson, founder of Input Output (IOHK) and the Cardano Blockchain, often speaks of the inner work he does to stay centered and open to growth (vipassana meditation, fasting, even his podcasts have a therapeutic feel to them as they give him the opportunity to process and make sense of the craziness surrounding the industry).

I have become a fan of Charles’ vision, the methodical, research-based approach that Cardano has taken and his commitment to self-governance and decentralization . At the Cardano Foundation summit last year, he had this to say about the importance of #listening to ensure the long term sustainability of the ecosystem:

“The thing we must master is to listen. The reason why governance is so difficult at its core is that we overvalue speaking and undervalue listening. If this is truly going to work it’s not going to rest on our great tech. We’ve already proven we can do that. It’s not going to rest on the great community. We’ve already proven we have that. What we haven’t proven, and in some cases haven’t done so well on, is that we can listen to each other. That’s going to be the hard one. That’s the one we are all going to have to work on, myself included”.

It’s the mature perspectives and high ethical standards that attracted me to the Cardano ecosystem. Although I don’t have much to contribute technically, I do have years of experience in the field of human potential development. Intuitively, I know there is an important connection between the Cardano vision and ethos, and the importance of personal development, mastery & maturity.

In this article I want to explore some of these first impressions and offer ideas how my work with BEING at Full Potential connects with the purpose of Cardano and might support its growth and continued decentralization in the future.

Change is needed: We have reached the limit of how effectively we are able to address societal challenges with the current playbook. In other words, continuing to “outsource” our problems to policy makers, large corporations, government institutions, and “experts” is no longer a model we can blindly rely on to navigate our way through these uncertain times. We are being invited to co-create new systems of governance and cooperation that will ensure a fairer and more sustainable future for all.
Decentralization promotes freedom & innovation but it can be messy: The advance of blockchain technologies brings immense possibilities for individual empowerment and innovative breakthroughs. For example, it has the potential to bank the unbanked, connect the unconnected and be a catalyst for solving some of the biggest challenges we face in the world today. Moving away from centralized forms of governance puts power back in the hands of the individual. This is a beautiful thing and key to unleashing Human Potential. However, it only works if we are willing and able to assume this level of responsibility and commit to a journey of personal mastery.
Decentralization and maturity go hand in hand. The path to creating a highly functional decentralized ecosystem is as much a technical challenge as it is a human one. I would even hypothesize that there is a correlation between the collective maturity of a community and the extent to which it is truly decentralized. In other words, if the people responsible for developing and designing the blockchain ecosystem embrace the fundamental notion that humans are created equal and are infinitely resourceful, responsible citizens, then it goes without saying that they will take great care in developing a blockchain system that truly serves the needs of the community rather than their own (as laid out in the map below).

4. How BEING at Full Potential can help with decentralization: For the past 10 years, we have been working towards a vision where every human can realize their greatest potential. Many great tools, like the Maturity Index (see below) or Human Potential Assessment, have been developed and proven to deliver great insight for individuals, teams and organizations who understand the importance of inner work as a means to achieve external impact.

Without significant shifts in how we see ourselves, the challenges around us and the unique contribution each one of us can make to build this new future, advances in technology will not yield much return. This is why unleashing unexpressed Human Potential, on a large scale, is critical to awaken and harness the creative power that lies within each one of us.

Over the years we have evolved into a full-fledged portal for Human Potential Development (see below) where people can not only measure their potential & maturity but also access a multitude of resources and exercises that support their growth & development. Looking to the next 10 years we are on a mission to scale our impact by democratizing access to these transformational tools and making the journey of self-realization as practical and enjoyable as possible. I don’t yet know how but I envision bringing this work on the #cardano blockchain. I’m keen to better understand what this could look like and who I could collaborate with.

Homepage: Portal for Human Potential Development

6 Organizational Performance Metrics brought to life

As a business leader, you are no doubt very focused on impacting the 6 Organizational Performance Metrics at the top of the iceberg below. But when is the last time you paused to consider the “underlying assumptions”, or the deeper human qualities that are influencing the way you show up with your colleagues and the teams you work with?

Ask yourself – do you come from a place of trust or control? Is your thinking based on a long term roadmap or short term pressure? Are you inspired by a set of numbers to be achieved or a future state yet to be manifested? Are you purely rational in your approach or do you also allow space for the intuition to lead your decision making? Do you believe that opportunities are scarce, leading to competition, or do you see an abundance of opportunities inviting a more collaborative approach?

These can be profound questions, especially when we engage with them in an open and honest way. A deliberate shift at the level of underlying assumptions, or inner mindset, can have dramatic impact on all aspects of the business. For example: our level of engagement, capacity for innovation, trustworthiness, and our ability to get things done!

Get in touch if you would like to know more about the BEING at Full Potential approach to working on the invisible / high impact parts of the organizational culture iceberg. This is where we shine:-)

In this article we break down each one of the 6 Organizational Performance Metrics to make them more tangible and help you identify the inner growth levers you can work on to unleash more potential in these important areas.

Of the 6 OPM’s (organizational performance metrics), CUSTOMER ORIENTATION is the one closest to my heart.

As an entrepreneur, who has championed the importance of infusing organizations with deeper Human Potential development for the past 10 years, I know how hard it can be to bring an idea to market when there isn’t yet an explicit need for it.

Working within the purple box of the diagram below, can be a lonely and frustrating experience at times. But as the bridge between our lofty visions and the needs of organizational leaders gets built, we enter into a creative zone. From this place we have given birth to the Human Potential Assessment, culture iceberg, OPM’s, maturity model and much more.

Thank you Andrew Thornton, Laura Saldivar Luna, Tanya Gonzalez, Dr. (HC) Guruvayurappan PV, Dr.Saravanavasan KS, Virginie Helias and many more for trusting BEING at Full Potential and following your innovative spirit!

Everywhere we look there a breakdown in TRUST. We don’t know who & what to believe anymore and it’s easy to put the blame on others, be it politicians, business leaders, media organizations, etc…

The thing about TRUST though is that it is not something that exists “out there” or an ideal state that we somehow “deserve” from others. Instead it’s a quality that we must cultivate and practice in our own lives first. There is a dynamic aspect to TRUST. The more we live it ourselves, the more we receive it in return!

This is why I find it helpful to focus on TRUSTWORTHINESS. It brings the responsibility back to myself and what I can do to actively create the experience of TRUST in my relationships.

To what extent are you expressing this quality in your leadership? Considering the following image, where on the spectrum would you be? What would it take for you to move more towards the purple box?

A growing number of people are feeling the call to step into a new paradigm of LEADERSHIP – one that is motivated by being in service rather than being in power. This transition in how we lead recognizes that there are limits to what we can control and influence when it comes to the thinking and actions of others. We may not be able to change these external circumstances, but when we turn our focus inwards, and reflect on how we can best respond, a multitude of choices start to open up.

This is what we refer to as SELF-LEADERSHIP.

Considering the following image, where on the spectrum do you see yourself as a leader? What would it take to move more towards the purple box?

At BEING at Full Potential we talk a lot about the BEING and the importance of working on ourselves but that doesn’t mean we don’t GET THINGS DONE. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, I’m always amazed how much can be created and built in such a short period of time when our hearts are fully engaged. Recently I have experience this with Peter Leong, Andrew Thornton, Fabienne Locher, Lakshmi Arora, Neelanjana Maity, Shyaamlal N N, Dinesh kanna B , Khuze Siam and the team at Siam Computing

Hence, our motto: “When the BEING comes alive, the DOING thrives”.

Considering the following image, where on the GETTING THINGS DONE spectrum do you see yourself as a leader? What would it take to move more towards the purple box?

INVENTIVENESS: our ability to create breakthrough ideas and produce radically new products and services (that may, or may not yet, have direct market application).

To what extent are you expressing this quality in your leadership? Considering the following image, where on the spectrum would you be? What would it take for you to move more towards the purple box?

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT is the 6th and last Organizational Performance Metric of this series. It’s also the reason why, 10 years ago, I felt compelled to develop solutions that would make it easier for teams and organizations to unleash the unexpressed potential in their people.

It must have been around 2008, while I was still working for a large corporate when the light bulb went on. During the deployment of the latest employee engagement survey, the HR team had identified a major new insight in the data. By far the #1 driver of employee engagement was a sense of PURPOSE & MEANING in a person’s work.

This was groundbreaking compared to the conclusions being drawn in previous years. For the first time they had concrete evidence that intrinsic motivators were far more important to the younger generation than extrinsic factors like pay, status, career development…However, the survey did not provide much insight into the underlying drivers of meaningful work.

Intuitively I knew that PURPOSE & MEANING were the result of a person having the opportunity to fully express their human potential (while aligning it to the priorities of the organization). But I had no way to prove it and without “the data” no new action could be taken. This is when, together with Sujith Ravindran, we decided it was time to create a tool that would measure the immeasurable.

In 2013 we gave birth to the Human Potential Assessment and BEING at Full Potential. Since then, we have served over 50 organizational clients and 8000+ individual users. We now have the tools and methods to work on the deeper human levers of organizational performance, and in doing so, we inevitably create breakthroughs in Employee Engagement, Trustworthiness, Inventiveness, Customer Orientation, Self-Leadership and Getting Things Done.

Is our approach to Human Potential Development scientifically validated?

As more and more people are starting to realize that Inner Development & growth is a pre-requisite to achieving the change we want to see in the outside world (for example Sustainable Development Goals), our work at BEING at Full Potential is becoming increasingly relevant but also more closely scrutinized.

The following article was written in response to the many inquiries we are receiving about the research foundations of the Human Potential Assessment tool and how it relates to existing models of adult development. Most of the credit for this compilation goes to Peter Leong who has always looked at what we do through the lens of leading-edge research in the field of ego development and leadership maturity. He is a master at connecting the dots between our ground up, experimental approach to wisdom skill development and the more scientific method followed by people like Terri O’Fallon, Susanne Cook-Greuter, Ph.D. and William Torbert.

At the intersection of ART and SCIENCE lies something beautiful that cannot be fully explained by the rational mind, but in our hearts, we know it resonates as being deeply true. We hope you will enjoy learning more about our slightly unconventional, but intuitive and holistic, “road to validation”. By no means have we fully arrived, and it’s unlikely that we ever will be able to capture the expansiveness of human consciousness in the well-defined confines of science, but the journey in itself continues to be a worthwhile one.

Background

The idea for the Human Potential Tool was born in 2013 to address the need for vertical growth & development (BEING leadership) in a world dominated by tools focusing on horizontal development (DOING leadership).
It was the lived life experiences of Mark Vandeneijnde and Sujith Ravindran that informed the initial foundations of the model. Seeing so many people (including themselves) experience a lack of meaning and purpose in their lives & work inspired them to ask the simple question: “How much potential is being wasted and what does it take to unleash it”? They knew that even 1% improvement in potential utilization would significantly impact our ability to address the increasingly complex challenges we face in organizations and society at large.
Having decided to take on the challenge of “measuring the immeasurable” they spent 6 months mapping out all the available knowledge (latest research on consciousness, adult development, management theory, mystical traditions…). Combining that with their own personal awakenings, a map started to emerge which eventually took the shape of a house with 4 states and 23 dimensions as well as the 83 questions needed to reveal these deeper human insights.
Unlike other behavioral, cognitive, and personality assessments that are usually “normative” – observed external behavior and actions of a large sample size of people (bell-curve) and grouping them into behavioral norms, the approach we took was developed “from the ground up”. It’s part art, part science attempting to bring more depth, heart, intuition & spirit into a world overly consumed by the rational mind.

The Portal for Human Potential Development

Validation & reliability – empirical research

Our first confirmation that the tool “does what it is supposed to do” (ie: validation) came in 2014 after presenting the results of our first pilot project. The client experienced the results as a mirror of what they knew to be true about their organization, but until then hadn’t been able to clearly articulate. In other words, it was confirming their intuition and making it more tangible by generating new conversations with new words, language and symbols. In this way it could be discussed and acted on in more objective ways (as per the old adage: “What gets measured, gets done”).
Over the years our confidence in the tool only grew through experience, practice and many generative conversations. Both at individual and organizational level we continued to see how it was able to reveal deeper layers of the human condition, open up transformational conversations and correlate with more conventional performance metrics.
We now have 8000+ users of the tool and multiple organizations who have done measurements over different periods of time. These pre / post projects and case studies have given us additional confidence in the reliability of the tool (ie: it’s ability to produce stable and consistent results over a period of time)

Validation & reliability – conceptual research

When Peter Leong came on board, he brought years of experience in adult development and consciousness research. Looking at the Human Potential tool from this perspective he helped us “connect the dots backwards” and realize that this experimental creation was deeply in sync with state-of-the-art research (and therefore not surprising that we see so much overlap with important initiatives like the Inner Development Goals). Here are some of the many connection points:

The Spectrum of Consciousness (Ken Wilber)

The Spectrum of Consciousness is a unique approach to the study of human identity which synthesizes psychology, psychotherapy, mysticism, world religions (spirituality), and enlightenment. It demonstrates that different approaches to the study of consciousness can be “integrated and synthesized into one spectrum, one rainbow.” Ken’s model of consciousness not only sensibly unites mysticism and Eastern and Western psychologies in general, but it also clarifies various Western approaches to psychotherapy. And like enlightenment itself, it illuminates them all while transcending them all. (adapted from Ken Wilber – The Spectrum of Consciousness)

Torbert’s theory of adult development & the seven developmental action logics

This image gives a high-level view of how we may apply the Being at Full Potential 5 state maturity framework to leadership action logic. We can also adapt the Being at Full Potential framework and metrics to other consciousness maturity maps like the 12 stages of development by Terri O’Fallon, founder of Stages International

We can also adapt the Being at Full Potential framework and metrics to other consciousness maturity maps like the 12 stages of development by Terri O’Fallon, founder of Stages International. This overlay is available on request. The image below shows the Stages International 12 stages of Person Perspective and the 3 Questions.

Validation & reliability – there is no holy grail

No matter how advanced and “scientifically validated” a tool is, when it comes to consciousness or maturity development, the deeper sense making will always happen through a process of inner reflection or dialogue with others. Tools aspiring to add value in the expansive field of human consciousness can never claim to have “the” answer or solution for somebody’s growth and development. At best, they can be mirrors to see oneself in a more holistic way and open up targeted conversations that bring out the important insights for a person’s next steps.

This is why our method for deploying the results of the Human Potential assessment takes great care at putting the client at the center of the discovery process. We do this in the following way:

The Human Potential Tool is invaluable for generating transformational conversations to change or shift the social reality by enabling people “to see the world through fresh eyes”. Since we cannot solve and achieve sustainable change with the same level of consciousness that created the unstainable problem (paraphrasing Einstein’s famous quote), a new level of seeing and constructing a higher social reality with more expansive “mental constructs” is needed (see slide 9).
Therefore, the tool needs to have trained and certified change facilitators capable of creating safe containers where people can expand their thinking and engage in deep generative conversations. From this place we invite our clients to take the lead in discovering the story in their data (vs come in as experts with conclusions and recommendations). This unique methodology leads much greater levels of insight, ownership and accountability with the client.
In other words, the Human Potential tool, when used in a generative change process, comes complete with a practical methodology (assessment and sensing, subtracting, passaging, arriving and harnessing). It is an emergent change process. It is not a set of instructions for what to achieve. Sustainable change is emergent in nature (systems theory – sensing and seeing that the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts – seeing wholeness as an approach).

Conclusion

At the intersection of ART and SCIENCE lies something beautiful that cannot be fully explained by the rational mind, but in our hearts, we know it resonates as being deeply true. We hope you have enjoyed learning more about our slightly unconventional “road to validation” through the intuitive and holistic lens. By no means have we fully arrived, and it’s unlikely that we ever will be able to capture the expansiveness of human consciousness in the well-defined confines of science, but the journey in itself continues to be a worthwhile one. For more information about BEING at Full Potential and our services please contact Mark Vandeneijnde or Peter Leong.

23 ways to express your Human Potential

Over the past months I have shared little stories to highlight the human qualities that I deeply appreciate in the people I work with. Each of these stories represents one dimension, or “brick” of the Human Potential House illustrated below. Brought together, this framework is a powerful map for any individual, team or organization committed to expressing its full potential.

Furthermore, with the Human Potential Assessment we are able to measure the extent to which these essential human qualities are expressed at a given point in time. Mirroring this back to our clients leads to deeply insightful conversations and profound clarity on the interventions that foster a greater sense of purpose, meaning , fulfillment and impact in both work and life.

Thank to all the friends and colleagues who inspired me with this initiative: Marco Angelini, Peter Leong, Marie Josee Smulders, Sujith Ravindran, Fabio Salvadori, Annelieke Verkerk, Vanessa Jane Smith, Geoff Swannell, Mathew Cherian, Rodrigo Martínez Romero, Laura Saldivar Luna, Nathalie Bayol, Kannan Swaminathan, Luca Salvini, Harmen van Dijk, Michael J. Dawkins, Hughes Mileng, Shraddha Patel.

BEING AWARE
	It takes courage to go on a journey of self-discovery. More often than not it reveals aspects of ourselves that are misaligned with our current life choices. It takes a whole other level of courage to then follow through on these new “revelations” and realign our lives accordingly. When we live our lives with such a high level of integrity some doors will close. We might feel alone and misunderstood but eventually it will reveal new opportunities that we couldn’t have imagined before. Who do you know that is unwilling to compromise on their values and ready to assume the consequences? Feel free to tag them in the comments below!
	2 people stand out when I think of the Interpersonal Awareness dimension of the Human Potential House: Nathalie Bayol and Kannan Swaminathan. Both have the unique ability to read into situations, understand the other person’s perspective and respond with patience and care. As somebody who can be a bit impulsive at times, I have learned a lot from you and continue to be inspired by your high level of interpersonal maturity.
	Our capacity to grow and realize our potential is often a function of the people we surround ourselves with. The more supportive they are, the more likely we are to stretch into new territory. It gets a bit tricky when our desire to “support” gets mixed up with our own projections of what we believe is right for the people we love. I find this tension especially present when it comes to our children. At what point is “parental guidance” no longer needed? At what point can we simply show up as a friend who listens and unconditionally supports the self discovery process? For me, that moment came last Friday when my son turned 18. This is an extract of the message I shared to show my commitment to evolve and expand my relationship with him: As you step into 18, Another layer of life comes into being, Keep exploring, keep discovering, Finding novelty in the open land, And wonder in a grain of sand. I wish the world I send you off into was in better shape, Your future isn’t handed to you on a silver plate, But because of who you’ve become, I know for sure it’s not too late. Just remember, When you look carefully through the clutter, What remains, Is pure beauty and wonder. Although my job as father is slowly coming to an end, I want you to know, That I will always be here for you, As a friend
	For many of us it’s been another year of “holding space” in the eye of the COVID storm. But unlike 2020, where this global phenomenon seemed to bring us together in our shared humanity, 2021 was more divisive. Either we followed the science or we believed in a conspiracy, either we did the right thing for the collective good or we were inconsiderate and dangerous, either we were vaccinated or not. In 2021, everything appeared to be black and white, leaving little space for open, constructive dialogue. In our desire to return to “normal” we have allowed the allure of a quick fix to narrow the conversation and momentarily distract us from the bigger issues we should be putting our attention on. As we get ready to enter the new year, which conversations do you think we should prioritize in 2022 to grow in our #societalawareness?
	Every morning Fabio Salvadori sits down with a blank sheet of paper and writes. In these 30 mins he expresses whatever is moving inside of him at that moment and then shares his insight with the world. What I find most beautiful about his writing is that it almost always comes down to a shift in his own thinking. He offers fresh perspectives on common challenges – like a morning yoga session for mind & spirit. These “Daily Apples” as he likes to call them are at the core of the self-development process and, in doing so, they reveal the leader within.
BEING INSPIRED
	As children, PLAY is part of our natural state of being. Then, somewhere along the way, we lose touch with this innocence and wonder that so easily fills our life with joy. That’s why it’s so special when we come across individuals who, irrespective their age, keep this youthful flame alive in all aspects of their life. Geoff Swannell is one of these beautiful people. Thank you Geoff for your playful presence that makes our collaborations such joyful, creative experiences.
	Thank you Marco Angelini for so beautifully bringing to life the 23 dimensions of the Human Potential House. Today I present “Curiosity”: the ability to look at the world with fresh eyes. How much of this quality is being expressed in your life today & in what way does it unleash potential? Personally, I’ve been working on seeing the world through the eyes of my 18 year old son. Whenever I manage to do this, it builds connection, compassion and respect.
	When Vanessa Jane Smith stands in front of a large, blank sheet of paper, and gets ready to draw the essence of a conversation that is about to unfold in a group, she switches off her mind, takes a deep breath and surrenders to the unknown. The moment her crayons make contact with this empty canvas, a magical flow takes over. I have been fortunate to witness on many occasions this deep trust that she has in the collective space. Her presence awakens generative conversations and the visual story that emerges becomes the mirror through which the group (re)discovers their own brilliance.
	This dimension of the Human Potential House brings to mind a mountain or solid oak tree. No matter how turbulent the external conditions are, it remains firmly grounded and centered at the core. This same quality is what many of us value about our friend Sujith Ravindran. His steadfast acceptance of “what is” brings a sense of calm, trust and freedom to those around him. Thank you Sujith for being such a wonderful example of Being in Flow.
	I came across a cartoon this morning that beautifully illustrates the Open to New Possibilities dimension of the Human Potential House: One person asks: “Aren’t you terrified of what 2022 could be like? Everything is so messed up…” The other person (who is working in his garden) responds: “I think it will bring flowers. WHY you ask? Because I’m planting flowers”!
	Hughes Mileng is an expansive and holistic thinker who helps us see the world through new light. What appears broken to most of us, Hughes sees as whole. For example, he refuses to label his home country Papua New Guinea as a developing nation. By looking beyond limiting measures like GDP, Hughes is able to shine light on the intangible value of culture, beauty and the generous people of his beloved land. He brings this same abundant spirit to the people and the organizations that he serves.
BEING ABUNDANT
	Luca Salvini has opened my eyes to the power of “open-source”. This is the principle that everything created by a community is openly available for everyone to use, modify and further build upon. I have come to appreciate how this abundant approach to collaboration not only unlocks greater creativity and innovation but is also the key to multiplying the impact of an initiative. Thank you Luca for being such a great role model for me to learn from. Your many contributions continue to nourish the collective BEING at Full Potential ecosystem.
	“Doing from Being” is the dimension of the Human Potential House that looks at how much of our true potential is being expressed in our day-to-day life. To illustrate this aspect of the Being at Full Potential framework, I share with you the story of how these cards were created. One of our Italian Human Potential Coaches, Marco Angelini, saw an opportunity to support his clients by providing gentle reminders throughout the day of the dimensions they have chosen to work on. He took the initiative to express his creativity and bring to life this deck of cards so his clients can print them out to stick them on their fridge or use them as a background image on their phone. In this way their self development intentions are kept top of mind throughout the day. Thank you Marco Angelini for being such a great example of “Doing from Being”!
	Trust in oneself and trust in the possibilities we know exist, but haven’t yet manifested, is such a critical part of human potential realization, which is why this dimension sits right at the center of the Human Potential House. I will always remember the first time Laura Saldivar Luna reached out to us sharing her bold vision, one in which she imagines a world where ALL children have the opportunity to thrive in their education. She deeply trusts in the role her organization can play to create these system level changes, but also recognizes that these changes first need to be fully embodied by herself and the teams she works with. In looking for the right partner to support her in this work, she once again trusted her intuition, which opened the door to a collaboration with BEING at Full Potential. Our work together was a great launchpad for her daring vision but the really hard work starts when the day-to-day reality sets in. This is when the “new” and the “old” collide and our inner trust is really put to the test. It’s her commitment to continue nurturing this vision while compassionately navigating the organizational constraints, that really distinguishes her as a leader.
	When we are able to hold a challenging situation long enough – to simply be with it free of judgement and listen to it with an open heart – we start to get a glimpse of the gifts hidden beneath the surface. This is the essence of “Gratitude” as defined in the Human Potential House. It’s also one of the unique gifts that Harmen van Dijk brings to the BEING at Full Potential community. Thank you Harmen for fearlessly bringing attention to the deeper conversations that unlock new awareness and potential, and remind us of the abundance all around us.
	When I met Marie Josee Smulders 8 years ago, she came to me and confidently stated: “Mark, you have a pure heart. It’s time to step out of the shadows and radiate the full gift that you are.” She was seeing potential in me that at the time I could not fully grasp. However, Marie Josee Smulders doesn’t easily give up. Her gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, reminders would always be the push that I needed to take the next step on my journey. Anyone who knows Marie Josee Smulders will surely agree that seeing potential in others and relentlessly acknowledging it until it manifests, is one of the great gifts she brings to the world.
	Mathew Cherian has been one of the most loyal and trusted advisors in building the technical platform for BEING at Full Potential. I have always known him to be abundantly generous with his time, expertise and friendship. Admittedly, there have been moments when, through my narrow lens, I felt he was giving more than receiving. However, I realize now that this unique quality that he embodies comes from a deep trust in the natural flow of giving and receiving. Mathew holds a much more expansive expression of generosity – one where the pure joy of being in service and making a meaningful difference is in itself a compelling reason to offer his gifts.
BEING IN SERVICE
	This one goes out to Peter Leong. Your dedication to putting your wealth of experience and knowledge, as well as your generous heart, in service of the greater good is a gift to all of us. Thank you for being such an inspiring friend and partner in this work. Thank you for so fully expressing this important dimension of the Human Potential House.
	Rodrigo Martínez Romero is a natural connector who experiences the world as a unified web of interconnected relationships. He not only senses into the potential across different groups of people and projects , but he’s also a master at connecting the dots of his own rich life experience. This deep integration of who he is with what he does has given birth to the Spiritual Politics Lab, a Training & Research Center for Innovation on Political Leadership Education. In this work he brings together an international community of changemakers who take on social challenges from the healing strength of love and a rich inner life connected to purpose and meaning. Perhaps there is something in you yearning to be part of a larger movement of social healing & transformation? You can connect with Rodrigo Martínez Romero to find out more.
	“Youth are a window into the future. Allowing ourselves to be led by them.” Thank you Shraddha Patel for this profound expression of #compassion. It is a testimony of the deep heart connection you have with the younger generation. You naturally see the world from their perspective and sense into the wisdom that is already there. From this standpoint, to “be in service” simply means allowing them to lead the way.
	In this fast-paced, hyper connected world it has become even more important to create space for reflection and self care. This is the essence of the Harmony dimension of the Human Potential House. When it comes to self care, there is no one-size-fits-all. Working with Michael J. Dawkins and the ph360/Shae program I am discovering the power of a personalized approach. Understanding my unique body type and genetic make up not only determines which kinds of food and exercise are most in sync with my system but it also gives me great insight how to respect and harness my natural energy flows. This has opened up a new world for me and I am seeing the tangible benefits of a more individualized approach to self care. Please connect with Michael J. Dawkins or Michiel Schuurman if you would like to know more.
	When I started this challenge to infuse more life into the 23 dimensions of the human Potential House, I did not know if I would have the discipline to carry this out to the end, I did not know where the inspiration for these 23 stories would come from, I did not know if anyone would be paying attention. But I did enter into this exercise with some awareness of what was in my control and what wasn’t. The more I focused on the process instead of the outcome, the more it started to flow. It still takes time to craft these personal stories in a way that is relevant to a broader audience but it’s deeply fulfilling and helps me further embody the essence of BEING at Full Potential.
	Annelieke Verkerk embodies the essence of the “Living My Calling” dimension of the Human Potential House. I remember the first time we met back in 2017 when she clearly articulated: Why she felt drawn to BEING at Full Potential How she saw it evolving in the future The unique role she could play in helping us take the next step. This unwavering commitment to Living her Calling and championing human potential has led to breakthroughs on multiple fronts: training programs, facilitation techniques, product development, community building and much more. Thank you Annelieke Verkerk for the generous collaboration these past years. May it continue to grow and expand well into the future.