TED* Thoughts

People often ask for tips on how to put The Empowerment Dynamic (TED*) into practice on a daily basis.  In response, I am happy to share the following 7 Daily Practices:

1.  Morning Quiet Time & Intention Setting (An outline of this process can be found in Chapter 9: “Shift Happens” in The Power of TED*.)

If at all possible, set aside 10-15 minutes (and more if you can!) for quiet time, reflection & intention setting.  The purpose of this time is to center, pray/meditate and choose baby steps for the day.  You may perhaps start with an inspirational reading.  Affirm your commitment to the Creator Orientation and to the TED* roles – as a Creator, Challenger and Coach.  Express gratitude for the relationship you are establishing with your life and for whatever aspects of your life call for gratitude. Then invite guidance and conscious awareness as a Creator and review your intentions and choices of what you feel called to create in your life. Finally choose and commit to 3 baby steps for the day. This might be as simple as making a particular phone call; or gathering information that will further the process of creating an outcome; or maybe just writing in your journal. 

2.  Take a “Time Out!”

Create a way to call “time out!” every two hours (or so) by setting an alarm on a watch, alarm clock, computer, etc.  Take a few minutes to review the past two hours. Which Orientation have you been acting from – Victim or Creator? How have your interactions been?  How much have you been acting in Dreaded Drama Triangle roles (Victim, Persecutor, Rescuer) and how much in TED* (Creator, Challenger, Coach)?  How might you make the shift to more empowered and resource roles?

3.    See Everyone as a Creator

In every interaction, remind yourself: this person before me is a Creator (or, in a group context, all of these people are Creators).  This is true whether they know it or not or weather they are acting like it or not! This simple practice will have an amazing impact on the way you respond to them and the situation in which you find yourself.  In addition, this anchors you in the role of a Creator.

 4.    Ask First, Tell Second

Many of us have a tendency to offer advice or to tell people what we think they should do – unfortunately, this is often the way of the Rescuer.  This discipline anchors you in the role of Coach.  A Coach asks good, powerful questions that helps the other person (whom you are already seeing as a Creator) to clarify the outcomes they choose to create or how they choose to respond to a situation; to clarify their current realities; and/or to generate and discern possible baby steps for moving forward.  Only after asking questions might a Coach offer advice or give directions.

5.    Check Your Intention

This is at the heart of becoming a conscious, constructive and effective Challenger.  Ask yourself:  Is my intention to look good or to further learning & development?  This requires an honest assessment.  If you check within and determine that the challenge your feel compelled to communicate is in order for you to look good; be right; pass judgment; further your own agenda; or in any way put the other down, the chances are great – if not guaranteed – that a challenge from this intention will place you in the eyes of the other as a Persecutor.   However, if you can “look yourself in the mirror” and are clear that your intention is to further learning; to increase the capacity and capability of the other to be a Creator; and can to do so with respect and care – then that is the way of the Challenger.

6.    Speak to what you want

Don’t be seduced by the Kinship of Victimhood, in which we collude with others in perpetuating the “ain’t it awful” perspective of the Victim.  This kinship keeps us focused on what we don’t want and don’t like, which is firmly rooted in the Victim (Problem) Orientation.  Instead, speak to choices and what you want – whether it is about an outcome you want to create or how you choose to respond to a situation and encourage others to do the same. 

7.    End-of-day Reflection

Finally, at the end of the day, take at least 10 minutes to reflect back on your day.  You may do this while flossing, brushing your teeth and preparing for bed.  Better yet, sit in a chair in quiet for 10 minutes. Replay the day in much the same way as the “2-hour Time Out!” Looking back, when were you operating from the Victim or Problem Orientation and when were you rooted in the Creator or Outcome Orientation?  What roles did you find yourself in? When you fell into a DDT role, if you could declare a “do over,” how might you have made the shift into the corresponding more empowered and resourceful TED* role?  Don’t judge yourself as good or bad in this practice– just notice and discern where you are and how you might continue to grow.

These seven relatively simple – though not always easy – daily practices will increase your capacity to live and grow more consciously and consistently into being a Creator and cultivating TED* roles and relationships in your life – at home, at work, and in your community.

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

His name was Fabian.  He served as our driver and guide into the Ecuador countryside and several small towns outside of Cuenca.

His story unfolded between the sights, smells and shops of markets and town squares.  Proud of his heritage and beautiful country, we learned of the people, politics and problems facing the people of Ecuador.

We also learned that we were in the company of a Creator.  Like installments in a week of soap operas, between stops we were treated to stories of his trek as a teenager from Ecuador to Chicago. Rather than pay a “Coyote” to guide their journey, he and his sister and a friend of hers left their home with no passport or visa and what they could carry on their backs.

Everyone – especially males from the small towns – shares the goal of reaching America as the land of opportunity.  Emigration is a huge issue.

His incredible travelogue was one of a journey that unfolded one adventure after another.  They met each border crossing with humor and the naiveté of youth, always finding a way over, around or through.  Often they only knew the next step in the adventure, would enter a town, scope out the next route.  They made it up a “baby step at a time.”

He made it to Chicago, where he lived and worked managing a painting crew for six years, before deciding to return to his native land.  He them followed into his parents’ business of buying and reselling cattle.  As he pursued this work, Fabian invested $30,000 (a small fortune in Ecuador) in buying a truck to transport the cows. 

Being the friendly and helpful man that he is, when he met a couple of chicken farmers who needed help to get their birds to market, he open-heartedly obliged.  Unfortunately, they were also ruthless thieves who bound his hands and feet – and covered his mouth – with duct tape and left him in the woods for dead.  He was eventually able to extricate himself, find his way back to the highway and hitch rides to get back home.

There was not a shred of Victim in his telling of this story.

That was a few years ago – and he was delighted to share that he was only a few months away from finally paying off the loan for the truck.  He also shared how that experience had transformed his perspective on life and living each day happy, healthy and in service to others.

So, he bought a used car that could qualify as a taxi.  Just a few weeks before our trip, he had sold that car and bought a newer used car.  “A step at a time,” he said.  His vision? To eventually buy a van and truly become a tour guide to share his beloved country with people like us. 

He left an indelible mark on us of a resilient Creator who seeks to serve and grow his serving one baby step at a time.

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

It was a foreign culture in many ways.  And so familiar in others.  Human beings are human beings, no matter the history, traditions and social assumptions.

The language was different (learning to navigate simultaneous translation was an interesting challenge in teaching).  The Dreaded Drama Triangle did not translate with the initials of DDT intact.  For one thing, the structure of Spanish is such that it would have been something akin to the “triangle of the dreaded drama.”  Our translator was marvelous and she came up with a close approximation. 

What was interesting, though, is that almost everyone knew about DDT – the toxic chemical used to kill mosquitoes in their country.  They clearly understood the analogy to the DDT in The Power of TED* and the toxic brew of relationship dynamics between the roles of Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer. 

There was a similar challenge with TED* (*The Empowerment Dynamic).  In addition to sentence structure, there is no direct translation in Spanish for the word “empowerment.”  Yet, the antidote roles of Creator, Challenger and Coach were clearly comprehended.

There was no issue with understanding the Problem/Victim Orientation and the Outcome/Creator Orientation.  I have experienced repeatedly that the FISBE frame of Focus, Inner State and Behavior more than adequately captures the cognitive, emotional and behavior components of the human experience and connects cross-culturally.

But the value and possibility of making the shift between orientations and between the DDT and TED* roles is what bumped up against cultural assumptions.  While I do not pretend to be anywhere close to a student on the history and culture of these wonderful people, they have lived with centuries of victimization, foreign and class oppression, severe poverty, etc.

(If nothing else, think Spanish Conquistadors and missionaries converting the “heathen” indigenous people.  The country is now over 95% Catholic.  As one Catholic priest attending the workshop observed, the church has sown a lot of guilt and shame into the fabric of the modern culture, which are emotions that feed the DDT.)

The reality is that the people of Ecuador face a lot of problems and the DDT is rife.  As the same priest also put forth, the Problem (Victim) Orientation and DDT has been the way of humankind since the beginning of time.  That is just the way it has always been.

And yet they also saw the possibility of a new way of thinking, being and taking action.  The Outcome (Creator) Orientation and TED* “translated” and they both provoked and evoked hope.  Cultures evolve over time and we are grateful to have been invited to sow seeds of collaboration in the minds and hearts of Creators leading change in Ecuador.

The DDT may be the way it has always been, but TED* stands as a Challenger to the assumption that it is the way it always will be.

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

We are delighted to welcome Dawn Rising as a guest contributor to “TED* Thoughts.”  She is a Health Empowerment Coach, and the owner of Nutri-Health UK Ltd, an online health and wellbeing portal. Dawn recently created a Weight Loss and Wellbeing Boot Camp Blog and we learned about her work when she included a post about The Power of TED*.  Dawn shared with us that she considers TED* a valuable and insightful tool, especially in the arenas of wellbeing, weight loss and health.  Thanks, Dawn, for applying TED* to health!

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It’s a fact that we all create our own lives. This is true whether we do it deliberately and consciously, or accidentally and unconsciously. One of the major aims of my work is to increase awareness and understanding of just how much control we have in creating our own story. An important part of that awareness is recognition of the ‘roles’ that we tend to adopt within our lives.

 s David Emerald points out in The Power of TED*, there are two very different orientations from which we can choose to live, and the roles we can adopt within them: ‘The Dreaded Drama Triangle’ (DDT) is the home of the Victim, the Persecutor and the Rescuer, whilst ‘The Empowerment Dynamic’ (TED) houses the Creator, the Challenger and the Coach.

At the core of every single unhealthy lifestyle I’ve ever come across, including my own, lays a Victim.

In my experience, when encouraging a Victim to become a Creator, one of the fundamental building blocks they lack is good nutrition. It’s not a link that many people would consider obvious, but ‘we are what we eat’.

My own path towards great good health and increasing wellbeing began with that very realisation some 10 years ago. With hindsight it is very clear to me that I was living as a Victim; my unhealthy lifestyle and relationship were my Persecutors. I used to ask myself how it could be my fault that my partner was ‘behaving like that’ or ‘didn’t understand me’. I’d be thinking ‘poor me’ because I was unwell and overweight. It hadn’t occurred that I wasn’t taking responsibility for my life; I hadn’t grasped that I was response-able and change needed to come from me – not to me.

Our food has a direct effect on our mood.

Classic Victim behaviour can include filling up on junk food – ‘comfort’ eating. Others might turn to alcohol, but in reality these anaesthetics are all just forms of Rescuers, that are bound to become Persecutors.  

Once the immediate ‘hit’ of comfort is over, the consequences of poor eating (gaining weight, lack of energy, illness and low mood) begin to manifest. As any nutritionist can tell you, a poor diet is ultimately going to result in a person feeling even more of a Victim.

Whilst those unhealthy options may superficially cover up and avoid the situation for a moment, the root of the problem will still be there, gnawing away…

Breaking the cycle means to understand the food choices we make, and why we make them. I always encourage clients to begin by eating more fresh, living raw foods – the more vibrant and alive our food is, the stronger we feel. Energy begets energy after all!

By living a cleaner, healthier life, we are more empowered to make better decisions for ourselves – being the change we want to see.

If you recognise yourself playing a DDT role, The Power of TED* really can give you all the tools you need to help shift and change your story, discover who you truly are and realise what you can achieve. Combining those tools with excellent nutrition and food choices will accelerate your change and emphasise your power!

(Note: The Power of TED* is available in the UK through Amazon.com.)

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

Donna and I arrived in Quito, Ecuador late on Thursday evening.  Friday morning we flew high over the Andes to Cuenca, the country’s third largest city.  It took a few days to adjust to the altitude.  (Quito is at 9,186 feet – or 2,800meters – and Cuenca at 8,317 feet, or 2,535  meters.)  Friday and Saturday were mostly dedicated to exploring Cuenca and Sunday we had a marvelous driver (more on him in an upcoming blog) who took us into the countryside and several smaller villages and towns.

On Monday, we went to meet the staff of the Waaponi Foundation, which is sponsoring our work here.  We are honored that they have brought us to their country to share our perspective on leadership and our experience.  Waaponi’s executive director, Nena Siguenza, first met Donna and me about 5 years ago when she was earning her Master’s Degree in public affairs at the University of Washington through an international scholarship.

Nena was especially impressed with Donna’s work with public/political leaders and her book, The Politics of Hope: Renewing the Dream of Democracy.  (Quick note: The book was published in 2004 before any politician had the “audacity” to use the words “politics” and “hope” in the same sentence!”

They maintained contact and shared the vision of bringing Donna’s work – and that of the Bainbridge Leadership Center – to public leaders in Ecuador.  As a result of years of their dreaming together, we are here to present two 2-day seminars.  The first, for women only and co-facilitated by Nena, is entitled “Women as Powerful Political Partners.”  The second, which I am privileged to co-facilitate, is for a mixed audience of public leaders and is entitled “Becoming a Collaborative Political Leader.”

It is in the context of the collaboration that I am excited about presenting TED* for the first time in Latin America!  I plan to write Friday’s (or it may be Saturday) blog on that experience.

In our time with the Nena and the staff of Waaponi, it is obvious that they live from a Creator Orientation and serve their country – and all of Latin America – as Creators, Challengers and Coaches.

Founded in 1999, Waaponi’s Mission is to “promote creative leadership in sectors of education, social, political and business, with emphasis on women and youth, identifying and potentiate individual and organizational capabilities, innovative methodology that integrates the physical, emotional, mental and social.”

The word Waaponi is not Spanish in origin, but comes from the Huaorani people of Eastern Ecuador.  Instead of saying “goodbye” as they make their leave, they say “waaponi” and depart with enthusiasm and good wishes.  Waaponi means “may the joy be with you” (think “may the Force be with you” in Star Wars). 

As they say on their website (which is in Spanish, but Google will translate it for you): “The foundation takes its name as a symbol of this whole adventure to discover the great human being within. We say waaponi with the hope of a safe return and that joy will be with you on the road.”

Discover the “great human being within” – the Creator in you.  Waaponi!

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

In going back through a backlog of emails, I came across one from a colleague that contained a link to a blog posted at the Harvard Business Review by Umair Haque, entitled “The Builder’s Manifesto.”  In it he suggests that the idea of leadership, as we commonly speak of it, is a “relic of the 20^th Century” and, therefore, outdated.

Instead, he argues that what we need are “Builders,” rather than leaders.  I think what he is describing are Creators.  He goes on to contrast what a “boss” does to what a “leader” does to that which is the focus of a “builder.”  As you read his “ten principles of Constructivism,” try substituting “Creator” for Builder:

1. The boss drives group members; the leader coaches them. The Builder learns from them.
2. The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will. The Builder depends on good.
3. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The Builder is inspired — by changing the world.
4. The boss says “I”; the leader says “we”. The Builder says “all” — people, communities, and society.
5. The boss assigns the task, the leader sets the pace. The Builder sees the outcome.
6. The boss says, “Get there on time;” the leader gets there ahead of time. The Builder makes sure “getting there” matters.
7. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The Builder prevents the breakdown.
8. The boss knows how; the leader shows how. The Builder shows why.
9. The boss makes work a drudgery; the leader makes work a game. The Builder organizes love, not work.
10. The boss says, “Go;” the leader says, “Let’s go.” The Builder says: “come.”

Interesting notion and contrast.  While I may not agree with everything in the blog (which I suggest that you read), he writes as a Challenger to some of my own assumptions about leadership.

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

One of the axioms in the field of leadership development is that “a strength overused becomes a weakness.”  For instance, having an Action Orientation that is overused can result in being overly driven, workaholism, even burnout.

A recent blog by William Winstone, of Self Aware Sports Psychology, provided a cause to pause and consider how the Victim, Persecutor and Rescuer roles of the Drama Triangle might manifest as strengths overused or overextended.

In the blog, he describes the following qualities:

• Assertiveness – the ability to say what I want  in a direct way, but also to do it in a way that allows me to listen and take on board other people’s perspectives.
• Care and Concern – the ability to look after others and to nurture.
• Openness and Vulnerability – this allows us to be cared for, to enter into relationships without rigid barriers.

Excessive assertiveness can easily put us in the Persecutor role.  Care and concern overused can lead us into becoming a Rescuer.  Openness and vulnerability – overextended – can set us up to become, or at least be treated by others as, a Victim.

In choosing to live life as a Creator, assertiveness becomes one important characteristic of a conscious, constructive Challenger.  Care and concern are at the heart of being a Coach in support of others.  Openness and vulnerability is not antithetical to an effective Creator.  Relationships rooted in The Empowerment Dynamic maintain and leverage those strengths in ourselves and in others.

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

The Winter Olympics are in full swing just up the road in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Like a lot of people, I have been checking in on them in the evenings and watching what I can. 

There is one particular phenomenon that I have noticed over and over again.  I first noticed it in some of the skiing events where competitors clapped and cheered for one another.  What really caught my attention is when an athlete would celebrate a person who did better than they did and bumped them down in the standings.  In many cases, it was not just polite applause, but appeared to be a sincere and warm acknowledgement of their accomplishment and skill.

These Olympians strike me as Creators.  Even though they had just been “beat,” they did not respond as a Victim who had just been “persecuted” by their competitor.  They laud their fellow athletes as co-creators of the sport they both so passionately love.

This spirit exemplifies the vision and intention of another Creator, Pierre de Coubertin, considered the “father” of the modern Olympic Games.  Here are a few of his quotes:

• “Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of a good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”
• “May joy and good fellowship reign, and in this manner, may the Olympic Torch pursue its way through ages, increasing friendly understanding among nations, for the good of a humanity always more enthusiastic, more courageous and more pure.”
• “For each individual, sport is a possible source for inner improvement.”

We can all learn from the examples of these athletes about how to both compete and co-create.

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

A few years ago, a friend who was an independent coach and consultant was struggling in her business. One day she lamented, “I guess I need to get a J.O.B!” – spelling it out like it was a “four letter word” (which, of course, “work” is!).  Looking back, it was clear that she was engaged in a version of the Dreaded Drama Triangle, in which she saw herself as a Victim, the need to work as a Persecutor, and a potential employer as the Rescuer.  I empathized, because I too have felt that way about certain jobs.

I was reminded of that interaction and another story when I read Seth Godin’s blog last Saturday, challenging readers to think about how they define their work.

Here’s the other story: About 10 years ago, I went to meet with a colleague who worked for Limited Brands (think Victoria’s Secret; Bath and Body Works, etc). in Columbus, Ohio.  As I arrived at his office for the mid-afternoon meeting, he asked if it was OK for us to meet in the cafeteria. 

As we entered the huge cafeteria (the size of a soccer or football field), tables had been cleared out and hundreds of chairs set up theatre style, looking toward a temporary stage erected at one end of the room. “What’s going on here?” I asked.  “That’s why I wanted to come down here,” he explained, “there is a retirement reception that I want to be a part of – and that you should see.”

We covered the purpose of our meeting. As we were wrapping up, people started to flock into the cafeteria.  The room was abuzz.  “Wow!” I said, “Who is this person that is retiring? Must be a real VIP.”

A VIP, indeed!  He was a janitor –or, rather, a custodian (defined as a “person responsible for something valuable”). 

As the ceremony began, the Chairman of the Board strode into the room (he had taken a break from his corporate board meeting to start the festivities).  He told the story of how this gentleman had come to work for the company in its early days and the impact he had had on those around him.

Many then came to the podium to sing his praises.  One that especially remains in my memory was that of a senior executive.  He told of a time when he was working late and the light above his desk burned out.  Frustrated, he called the maintenance department expecting to get voicemail.  Instead, the custodian answered the phone and indicated that the executive was lucky, because he was just preparing to leave and would be happy to take care of the light before going home.

They chatted as the light bulb was changed.  The executive thanked him for taking the time before calling it a day.  The custodian’s response, as told by the executive, was “I’m happy to do it.  My job is to maintain an environment in which you can do your best work!”  I was inspired.

Every “j.o.b.” can have either a trivial or a noble description.  Clearly he saw his work as a custodian in the noblest of terms. Creators do that.

How do you define your work?

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)

As mentioned in the last post, this past week I had the pleasure of participating as a coach Mesa Research Group’s “Global Leadership Program” (GLP) in Paris.

One day of the program was dedicated to understanding the global business environment.  All of the participants are senior leaders in businesses that have a global presence.  The day included a history of the emergence of global economic, geopolitical and cultural factors since the late 1940’s.  It helped those in the class come to see the complexity of globalization in a new light.  At the end of the day, many spoke of how the increased understanding helped them make sense of their struggles in the global business arena.

As I observed and listened, it also brought to mind some of the brilliant insights of Teilhard de Chardin.  Of course, he was a French scientist and Jesuit priest, so sitting in the heart of Paris probably was part of the invocation of this influence on my own thinking and worldview.  I could write a whole book – or at least a long treatise – on the ways in which his conclusions about the evolution of consciousness have informed much of my focus over the past 25 years.

But how, you might ask, does conscious evolution have to do with globalization.  One word: complexity.  With globalization comes complexity and its many ramifications.

About evolution, Teilhard observed that evolution involves two streams of development: increased complexity and increased consciousness.  The direction of evolution, he further postulated, is the convergence of increased complexity and increased consciousness, breaking through to a higher order level of simplicity.

As it relates to globalized business, understanding the underlying components of the complex systems and their interplay helped the GLP participants “break through” and perceive their challenges in a new way.

 It is similar – in a very real way – to what people report about TED*.  By understanding the Victim Orientation and its Dreaded Drama Triangle, they break through to a “higher order simplicity” by seeing the roles and dynamics at play in their lives.  But, as has been often said in the world of TED*, “simple does not mean easy.” 

Global realities are not easy.  Shifting and evolving into a Creator Orientation and TED* (*The Empowerment Dynamic) is not easy.  That said, deepening our understanding opens the way for a more conscious way of living, working and relating with others.

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(“TED* Thoughts” is a published three times a week [at least most of the time]. It is intended to offer reflections and applications of The Power of TED* in order help facilitate a shift in worldview and relationship dynamics from the Drama Triangle [or the Dreaded Drama Triangle] to The Empowerment Dynamic [TED*].  Please help spread TED* by sharing this “TED* Thoughts” and by contributing your own thoughts by posting a comment.  To the Creator in you!)