So much of what we want to understand about a thriving business can be found mirrored in nature.

Age-old principles we find at work in the natural order of things; especially when it comes to what sustains life or how the elements inter-operate, can provide powerful insight into how vital systems work best.

Many organisations have been forced to adapt to a distributed team structure due to COVID-19 restrictions, and this has created an unusual and uncertain landscape that is both unfamiliar and hard to navigate.

To help understand some important dynamics that this shift has caused, we will discover that the mouth of a large river, the point where it approaches the open sea, can provide us with a wonderful mirror in the natural world.

Rivers are amazing subjects that can teach us so much in terms of life-sustaining systems and in the following lesson, we'll see how key factors effecting two natural ecosystems can be seen to reflect issues that we may now be facing. 

In what follows, the river simply represents the way your team operates. 

Treating the sea as the destination, a pool of clients or the open market to whom you must deliver, I'm going to compare and contrast two very different scenarios; that of an ESTUARY and that of a DELTA.

It might be worth noting that deltas and estuaries only occur for large, mature rivers; small, young rivers will have little impact on the shape of the land or the waters of the sea.

Estuaries form where a large river approaches the sea and an expanse of water is created in which the fresh river water and the saline waters of the sea become mixed. There are many key attributes we can identify in this environment that can teach us about the power of a united team.

In summary, estuaries are much more energy-efficient; consisting of a single, deeper channel of faster flowing water that carries and delivers greater volumes of material, further out into the sea.

This is where the remote team situation finds it natural metaphor.

(LACK of) CONSTRAINT:
Deltas form where there are very few geographical (often geological) constraints present. Your team may recently have been freed from their geographical constraints in a similar way.

The water of the river is essentially free to find its own path. The result is that multiple channels spread out over a wide area and long, marshy islands take shape quite naturally; separating lines of water, which all significantly slow their pace. Cliques and enclaves often develop in remote teams, where individuals limit their personal and professional interactions to a few, preferred others, rather than inputting into the wider team.

(LACK of) FOCUS:
Deltas cover vast areas. They are, in this way, lacking in any clear point of focus. Energy is dissipated as the shallow waters feel the drag of the river bed. 

​ENERGY:
The velocity of the river water at a delta slows dramatically as separate channels emerge and each one becomes more and more shallow. The separate water channels make much less of an impact than would a single, united, focused channel of flow. 

A lot of energy is used up dealing with 'internal issues'. These internal issues distract from the job in hand - the primary purpose of carving the land and carrying sediment out to the sea. The water comes up against:

• marshy islands - separating the channels of water, increasing inefficiencies, preventing productive collaboration, decreasing 'communication'
• the build up of sediment - clogging the channels, providing further rooting opportunities for vegetation
• high levels of evaporation - reducing the medium of change. The large surface area of the shallow water channels lead to a significant amount of water volume being lost to the air.

With so little energy available, sediments carried by the river are often deposited long before it reaches the sea and vegetation is able to take a hold in these deposits - slowing the water flow even further.​

Notice also that there are very rarely any tributaries joining, and thus contributing to, the latter stages of a river that ends in a delta - so no new energy enters the system.

To summarise, deltas are very inefficient systems in terms of their management of energy; consisting of a multiple, dispersed channels of shallow, slower-flowing water that often delivers little of its load to the sea. 

Whilst they are 'perfect' in the natural world; a result of forces that seek to create an enduring balance, they also reveal the inevitable inefficiencies that result from unguided, unfocused energy and may reflect ways in which your team are struggling to manage the current mandate to operate remotely.

​We each handle crises in different, typical ways. With Coronavirus now posing a serious threat to numerous nations, this video explores not the details of the disease itself, but the phenomenon of our different responses to the crisis.

Your response may serve you well... but consider how others may approach the challenge with a completely different perspective.

This is not a medical video, it is not a public service announcement, it's going to be a video about the way in which we handle challenges
 
The first thing is to realize that the way that we respond to a crisis situation any challenge is related not so much to the nature of the crisis but to who we are as individuals.
 
So who we are affects our response a lot more than the actual situation itself because, as people have said many times in the past, the way we do anything is the way that we do everything.
 
In that light what I want to do is break down six character types six key typical responses that people bring to any kind of crisis and I wonder which one ones of these you identify the most with.
 
These archetypal characters are: the Sovereign (King/Queen/Boss), the Warrior, the Sage, the Mystic, the Lover and the Jester.
 
We are, of course, a mix of all these characters but if you look at your own reaction to challenges, ask yourself which of those characters is dominant for you.
 
You may already have an idea of which one dominates but you can get a lot more precise about your two driving characters by visiting the power profiling app. Find your typical response to a challenge with this free, instant Profiling Tool: https://teamme.app .
 
This simple online tool takes about 90 seconds and it is proving to be remarkably accurate in terms of helping you helping hundreds of people to understand their typical way of showing up.
 
If you want a detailed explanation of *how you think* then my Signature Consultations will reveal how your innate profile is both helping and hindering the way in which you are going about things - in life, in a relationship, your finances, your career - and how you can fine-tune that or adapt that in order to get a better result in life.
 
So, whether you're dealing with the coronavirus on a global scale whether you're dealing with a challenge in a relationship, in your finances, in a career situation - whatever it might be but really suggest you look into these things. I think you would find it really insightful - six universal characters that'll help you in many, many ways.




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There's something I have to ask you...

Today, you can listen to and benefit from this full-length audio experience COMPLETELY FREE.

I've been using it for many weeks and have found it extremely helpful as it places my thinking into a more advanced realm. It literally re-programs my present-day thinking and provides me with much more advanced thinking patterns that accelerate my progress IN THE NOW.

This track is so effective because it leads you through:

• Powerful exercises that help you achieve a deep state of relaxation
• Carefully crafted narrative and music that will guide you into a deep learning state
• Combined layers of audio that instruct you at both a conscious and unconscious level
• An imaginative journey that opens up new possibilities and enables you attain specific truths that will accelerate your progress towards your dreams

ACTIONS:

If you find it useful, do post a comment below.

If you want your own copy of the High Quality MP3 track, you can buy this and download it instantly from the store page: Future You Meditation

Just ahead of some speaking events earlier this year, where Dean and I shared the stage, Dean completed his is archetype profile to understand his personal and professional drives. 

Though I was confident I knew this man's character from many years of working together, the profile results strongly confirmed to me his leadership capability. 

If you're not familiar with the Team Me Archetypes, you can find out more here - suffice it to say that to know yourself from this perspective will give you a very clear understanding of why you do, what you do, the way you do it - and why, then, you've been getting the results you've been getting this far in life.

We start with a Power Profile that shows us the two most dominant characters that drives us.

Dean's Power Profile came out as Sage/Mystic. But what does that mean?

This essentially means that's Dean first tendency is to get real about the facts. He wants to know things for certain and looks for evidence to back up both his own views and the assertions of others.

Immediately following on from this, he's driven by a desire to makes things better. He's a natural innovator. 

Some people with this profile come over as rather aloof - but, as you'll see from the full Archetype Spectrum below, Dean's desire to connect with people offsets any such danger.
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Dean's political affiliations may be 'conservative' but his outlook is strongly progressive and rooted in reality.
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The profile above instantly reveals that we're looking at a mature and well-balanced individual.

This is evident from two distinct patterns:

1. The even scores across all archetypes show us that Dean is able to operate across the whole spectrum of thinking types. He's not stuck with a limit range of perspectives but is able to understand the views and values of people from a diverse array of backgrounds and cultures.
2. The fact that all his scores are over 6, clearly indicates that he has a maturity across all types. None are notably lacking; none are dominating in an unhealthy way. 

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Having done hundreds of profiles for people in all levels of business and society, Dean's profile immediately stood out to me because of these results. When he told me he wanted to be an MP, I could clearly see how suited he would be for such a role. 

Dean's official Conservative Website Page tells us:

"Coming from a working-class background, Dean has since become known as a successful polymath with a diverse career spanning from physics to the arts, senior roles advising global brands, CEOs, government and philanthropists through to running his own business."

This explains much of what is evident in his profile. So, how to you talk to someone with this kind of profile? 
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Every profile reveals that VALUES that drive an individual. Knowing someone's profile can make your communication with them far more effective and opens the door to a much deeper engagement and more positive response.

So, if you find yourself in a meeting with Dean, I'd suggest the following strategy - a strategy based on the key values (in priority order) that his Archetype Profile reveals:

You'd first want to ensure you mention evidence that backs up any plans, claims or views you're about to unveil.

Then you'd want to talk about possibilities and opportunities; painting a picture of a better future around the matter at hand.

Next you'd need to mention how your plans will positively impact people: talk about teams who would get the job done, talk about ends results of unity, harmony, impact and benefits on communities - even on society at large.

Be aware that, once convinced, Dean's mind will rapidly move to the pragmatic issues of how to establish matters in the real world. The Sovereign will steer his thoughts towards clarifying and sharing a new vision then building the teams and structures necessary to see things manifest in the real world. 

You'll need to ensure you can speak to this and rapidly follow it with a couple key actions you'd want to take without delay. This way you'd be appealing to the Warrior inside who is seeking rapid progress - once the facts, vision and benefits to people are clear. 

Last of all, make sure that you show him how you want to make the journey enjoyable. The Jester may be last on the list, but it's still too strong to be ignored. Dean will want to see some novelty and variety to feel satisfied with the whole picture.
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If you're serious about creating business breakthroughs and want to understand your own Archetype Profile, or to discover how to use this knowledge to create a High Performing Team within your field, BOOK YOUR SIGNATURE IMPACT CONSULTATION HERE TODAY.  

The Flow State is the key to high performance.

In Flow, you are in an extraordinary state of being where you are able to process information extremely fast and act without conscious thought. Intuition takes the lead and the act of learning is more like an act of ‘absorption’ as your normal, critical thinking is superseded by the ability to automatically adjust to what is important.

Effective professionals of every kind have learned to live, and lead, in Flow.
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​Sadly, as we look around, it appears that the vast majority of people have been dumbed down; dare I say it, even robbed!

Modern life seems to demand that we live and work far from the extraordinary levels of life we know are possible.
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Flow-killers are all around us - as abundant as rotten leaves in November. They’re like thieves intent on stealing the richest pickings and seducing us into fifty shades of dullness, when life should be a continual explosion of joyful colour.

For too many of us our brains are overflowing with cognitive clutter that diverts our energies towards empty entertainment and mindless distractions; things that mentally trip us up or box us in – preventing us from doing what we love and love what we’re doing.

Yet those who have found the formula, who experience the Flow State on a regular basis, seem to have discovered a higher level of meaning in their lives and find these moments so rewarding they’ll go to great lengths to re-engineer their lives to stay there as long as possible.
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Extreme Sports athletes are an obvious example of this, and whilst it’s easy to see their addiction to the rush they feel, we mere mortals can also do much to set ourselves up for regular moments of exhilaration – moments in which we not only perform our best but also inject health and happiness into both our brains and bodies.

You really can find your own path to Flow and set things up so that you regularly activate this remarkable state and find much greater fulfilment in your daily life.

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​Countless issues arise in the classroom and corporate world due to a lack of meaningful engagement with the tasks at hand.
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All too frequently managers and teachers complain about issues with their workforce or students when it may be that the task itself or the environment they work in is actually a significant factor they need to consider.

Too many employees appear to suffer from a:

• Lack of motivation
• Lack of focus
• Lack of engagement
• Visible unhappiness
• Lack of team cohesion
• Slowness to learn
• Low level of performance
• Sense of unfulfilled potential
• Disruptive and even destructive tendency
  

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Companies facing a workforce that displays these traits will undoubtedly have a high staff turnover - and yet, with a little bit of thought, things can be re-engineered to guide people into many more hours of Flow at work.
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Whilst too many managers will want to lay the blame at the feet of the workforce themselves, wouldn’t everything be better if they were given more fulfilling work to do? And what would happen if we completely changed the environment we were working in? 

​So why does Flow seem so elusive? Why do we naturally find ourselves caught up in the urgent demands of life instead of caught up in the ecstatic, autotelic highs?

We should become equally aware of the factors that kill the chance to get into Flow.

Because the truth is, the enemies of Flow are all around us. They come not as solitary assassins but as battalions of brutes bent on beating us into a life of reaction and pull us away from periods of planned, pleasurable productivity.
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Flow is sucked out of life by:

• ​A lack of purpose and specific goals - something to aim for
• A lack of challenge - where there is demand for us to rise to the moment
• A lack of focus and direction - too many distractions and interruptions
• A lack of actual ability - which leads to anxiety, frustration and stress
• Disempowering judgements – a lack of self-belief, expressed through continual (though often only semi-conscious) negative thoughts
• A lack of general flow across multiple areas of your life - to find Flow in one specific task if helps a lot if you’ve already learned to develop Flow in other areas.

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​It’s clear that we need to intentionally set up both our mental and physical environment if we’re to make time and space for more Flow in our lives. So, review the above list and take a moment now to remove the Flow killers so that you can produce your very best work.
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The Law of Repulsion is probably most easily understood by looking at a couple common examples:

If you were in town and started to feel hungry you might step into a store and glance at the snacks available on the shelves.

You may be looking for something specific; especially if you know the store well and the kind of stock they usually hold. But whether you are looking for something specific or simply browsing the available stock, you are inevitably (and without thinking about it) screening out a large number of potential options that lie before you.

There may be a few options that you consciously weigh-up in that moment but there will be many that you are completely deleting with no conscious consideration whatsoever.

For whatever reason, whether it is a matter of taste, size (both yours and the packet’s ! :) ), food allergies, or on nutritional grounds, these are the items that you are repelling with barely a thought.
This is the law of repulsion at work.

If you were to attend a networking event, the same law might be seen at work.

There will be individuals or small groups of people that you find yourself attracted towards and there will be others that, for reasons you are probably not consciously aware of, you simply don't find appealing. You may be a great judge of people but you can never know the value that lies hidden in a situation until to engage with it - and do so with an open mind.... and heart.

The trick, of course, is to become aware of the unconscious preferences that are guiding your behaviours in such moments because to make a poor choice in either of these situations could have a significant impact upon your future.

A poor choice regarding snacks might, over time, impact your waistline: a poor choice in engaging with certain people at a networking event might lose you a significant business opportunity.​

Of course, we do not have the time or money or energy to choose every option laid before us, but it is well worth seeking clarity on those negative, momentary ‘vibes’ that cause you to pass certain options and opportunities by without a second thought.

Become aware, then, of your moments of decision throughout the day - especially when it comes to starting or in deepening relationships with people who might prove key to your success.

Are there people whom you would love to reach out to you in your dreams - but would be scared to reach out to in reality, as you feel they are simply outside of your league?

Are there job roles you have pushed away because you feel inadequate to the task and demands that such a role might place upon you?

In these, and 1001 similar situations, there is of course a vital part to be played by good sense (and many people have, at times, bitten off more than they can chew) however we are all guilty to some degree of failing to maximise the opportunities that could so easily be ours for the taking, because we are unconsciously repelling great choices that appear before us.

So, become aware of your natural inclinations and stop yourself for a moment whenever a choice appears before you. Take a moment to challenge your own personal unconscious inclination and simply ask yourself one question, “What if…?”
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‘What if…’ opens the door to possibility, and a sense of possibility is always the first step towards progress.
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You may just find that this simple question will embolden you to take a step in a new direction and, lo and behold, see a new door opening before you.

​What you attract and what you repel in life depends more than anything upon your VALUES and these values will be aligned most directly to the Archetypes that are most dominant in your life.

Find out more about Archetypes at www.teamme.com and use the instant Power Profiler to understand your own character in a new and empowering way.

I've been using this system for many years with my personal coach and clients and in workshop situations but I wanted to ensure that anyone could create their own profile with just an online connection

Your profile will vary a little overtime and so it's extremely useful to be able to redo your profile when you need a to rather than rely upon one that completed weeks or months earlier

If you're interested in personal development, if you're a coach to others, if you're managing teams or dealing with students, this knowledge will help you understand and reflect upon vital dynamics that are deeply affecting the results that you have been able to achieve

At this point in the app development we just have the first key bits of profiling functionality in place.
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​Crucially, tell me if it is something you'd want to recommend to a friend and if you would want to share it as it is or would wait before it has been developed further.

So please diving the profiling exercise only takes about 90 seconds and then we’ll see what you discover in terms of Next Steps.

I look forward to your contribution to the group and hope you enjoy the process.​