The Compass that Guides Us.

The Integral Compass we use to guide our work is one that is being used by many people the world over.

In a nutshell, you will see that “The Compass that Guides Us” integrates four quadrants.

• The Upper Left – The Inside of the Individual – Mental Models – MM
• The Upper Right – The Outside of the Individual – Observable Actions – A
• The Lower Left – The Inside of the Group – Culture – C
• The Lower Right – The Outside of the Group – Standard Operating Procedures - SOPs
  

There are some very specific advantages that one has when using this Compass, advantages which make the use of this Compass integral to our work with family owned businesses.

The Compass helps us to work with the inside of a person. It is very often the stuff that is inside the heart and mind of your key people that is so hard to address.

• What is causing him or her to think that way?
• What subjective preferences influence his or her decision making process?
• What level of awareness impacts the direction he or she chooses to go?
• What are the hot-buttons that cause such reactivity?
• What prejudices pre-dispose predictable decisions and prevent creativity?

The Compass also helps us to work with the outside of a person. The way a person behaves at home and at work is important. These observable actions send powerful messages to other people.

• What measurable behaviors are working well for this person?
• What measurable behaviors are not working very well at all?
• What actions are causing performance problems at home, or at work?
• What is he or she doing that brings about stellar consequences?
• What actions bring about disastrous results?
  

When the inside and the outside of a person align, when they are well integrated, then the person has a lot of congruence. Typically, a person such as this is said to have “integrity.” Someone with congruence and integrity “walks their talk.” These individuals are good to be around both at home, and at work.

Trying to change someone’s behavior, without addressing the mental model that directs that behavior, is often unproductive. On the other hand, changing someone’s behavior is often the most direct way to helping them to change their mental model. How do you know which path to follow?

We use the Compass to inform our work with individuals who are committed to building more integrity.

And, we use the Compass to direct our work with whole groups of people.

The Compass also helps us to work with the inside of your culture, both family and business. Every group of people develops its own rules about how to think and behave. This is true of your family, and of your business.

• What values does your family or business hold near and dear?
  
• What are the often hidden rules that must be followed?
  
• What defines “good” and “bad” in your family, and in your workplace?
  
• What roles do people play in your family, and in your workplace?
  
• What do the people in your family, and in your business, fear about The Black Box?
  

And, the Compass is very useful in reminding us to look at the SOPs, the Standard Operating Procedures that are followed by your business. Here we are looking at all the ways in which your business actually behaves, and we could create a similar list for your family SOPs.

• What are the observable ways in which your Leaders actually lead?
• What success are you having with your Sales and Marketing efforts?
• What effectiveness are you finding in your Finance and Accounting functions?
• What benefits are you receiving from your Operational efficiencies?
• What measurable indicators do you have in place to adjust your practices?
  

When the inside of your business aligns with the outside, it is said to have integrity.

When people in your business don’t live by the core values of the business, there is bound to be conflict and unhappiness. Those people are often “misfits” because their Mental Models and Actions don’t align with the Culture and SOPs of your business.

If your SOPs are out of line with your culture, there will be disgruntlement and resistance among your people as well. These people will say, “You aren’t practicing what you preach.”

The best families, and the best businesses, are those where there is a lot of congruence, a lot of alignment, a lot of integrity.

So, you can now begin to see that when we use our “Integral Compass” we can work effectively to align all four quadrants with each other, both at home and at work.

Shortly, we will be including some case-studies that will illustrate the usefulness of our Integral Compass for your family, and for your business.

For now, if you would like to engage us in more conversation about how the Integral Compass can be used to give direction to your family and/or your business, give us call.

© 2008 Atwood Plus, Inc. Site Design: Muller Design