Andrei's Blog

Serving Your People, Serving the World: Building a Life-Centered Business at SweetRush

October 26, 2021September 15, 2022 by Andrei Hedstrom

I Love Life. It is simultaneously filled with suffering and abundant in its potential. When life finds a seam, it will burst through and expand. Give a person an opportunity to better themselves, and they will grow toward the light.

I might have always loved life, and watching my daughter grow into the beginning of her womanhood, I can report that she came into this world loving life. Born to love life. I have seen this love of life again and again at SweetRush. And I have learned a bit about how to love life at work.

Serve your people so that they’re able to explore and express the truth, beauty, and goodness in them, and they’ll do amazing things. The problems of the day not only become manageable, they become fodder to make something of good use. Making things with good people is a lot of fun—and when we have those things, we make a positive impact. What could be better in our work?

People like to make things—so much so that moving rocks and materials around could be said to be a part of our nature. But we don’t just push stuff into a shape; we like to bring those shapes to life: Water through the old aqueducts, electric money through the digital world that connects our activities—and now pushing our materials and energy out into space. It seems that we see ourselves inside of what we shape and bring to life.

Sadly, we’re now learning that some of the things we make have diminished our amazing planet and its living systems. It’s as if these webs of connectivity we are part of are letting us know it’s going to get a bit rocky ahead. Suffering is at hand, and more still will come, so now we turn to look for wisdom about how to master our meaning and purpose.

What is it all for?

It’s for life—this is the answer we return to when we get into trouble. The new lives that come into our families, the forests that are splendid with awe and mystery, beauty and air. Sweet air—water, too. A drink of water, when you are truly thirsty, is something that makes you understand why all cultures have built temples, great fountains, works of art, and towns to honor the essential nature of water.

Life’s power and beauty are also abundant in the ways we relate and connect with one another. At this time, when over half our population is digitally connected, we can talk. Yes, there’s the absolutely crazy talk we have been doing on social media, but we can also truly dig deep with people all over the world, sharing solutions, resources, and good will. By the end of the next decade, almost all of us will be connected and interfacing with the next chapter of technology—the metaverse. There we’ll discover just how close we can get through the tools we have developed to share more of our personal and collective energy together.

If we have achieved all we have while being motivated by a value system based on coins, imagine what we can achieve when we’re motivated by the truth that life and its potential are the greatest measurements of value? The answer, of course, is: “Let’s see what’s possible.”

We know a few fundamental things about the potential and value of life. We know that when a life experiences freedom from suffering, it does amazing things. Freedom from suffering doesn’t mean an absence of suffering, but a healthy amount of suffering and the experience of stretching that is a catalyst for the growth of our potential.

It’s also about reclaiming our energy from the times when the suffering has been too much. We know there are fireworks of life potential and goodness when we support others who are suffering—so much so that we build myths and movies about superheroes and award Peace Prizes for it.

We also know that every living thing needs the right amount of abundance: not too much and not too little. Both extreme abundance and extreme lack of abundance cause lots of suffering for everyone because it degrades our shared potential. The indicator of achieving ample abundance is when you begin to serve others’ life potential.

I am certain that there is a way for you to work earnestly with your people, making the things you love to make, that grows life potential. I am even more certain that when you do, you will feel better about yourself and our world. Your people will too.

At SweetRush, we like to make learning and support transformation, using the best technology we can find and a commitment to goodness, truth, and beauty. We like to work with as cool a set of tools, processes, and methodology as we can, too. We like to get intellectual sometimes and pragmatic all the time.

Our new eBook, It’s All About Your People: Embracing Human-Centered Business, Workplace Culture, and Learning Design is an expression of both the deep and pragmatic work we do: not just our ideas but our urge to share what we know with you. We can attest that there aren’t enough of us to go around. The learning and development industry, once a sort of cleanup crew for sexual harassment or workplace injury lawsuits, is in such need to support the large-scale transformation in our world that the pounding on the doors of our craft is almost deafening.

I believe that the best of our craft—and SweetRush—is yet to come if we truly focus on what is good for life. This is a pragmatic notion as well as one that makes me happy. If you are in an industry that is in great demand, then where you put your craft makes a big impact. Put it into what you value most.

I believe the onus is on us to put our work toward the world we want to see and, for me, that’s a living world. For my team, the world is what we choose to work for, and we learn about how to serve it better each year. Our reward is that we get to do more of what we love to do while bringing more people together. We get to know people at other organizations who are making things, moving energy together—reducing suffering and increasing abundance in service of life potential.

If there is a hopeful, productive, future age, I believe that it will be called something like the Age of Life Potential, in which people shift their belief systems and mental models and learn new ways to ask and answer: What more is possible with life at the center? How much splendid diversity of care, creativity, and understanding can we weave into the things we make and do?

When I look down the line of industries, cultures, and ecosystems with life as the focus, what I see is not only worth working toward, it brings me joy and gives my life value. Serving life potential is worth all I am.

More from Andrei:

Black Lives Matter.

June 26, 2020September 29, 2022 by Andrei Hedstrom

This year we have been made increasingly aware of how interconnected we all are, and how important it is to have understanding and empathy for one another and to recognize the inequities in our society.

We stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues, friends, parents, spouses, brothers, sisters, and children.

We are listening, dialoguing and researching ways in which we are connected to systemic racism and injustices. Our SweetRush tribe is one that revels in diversity, yet we know that we are connected to and, in some ways, a part of inequities. Within every profession and firm, there are opportunities to dismantle barriers and SweetRush is committed to going beyond the diversity we already embrace.

This year, Juneteenth took on a special significance for more of us than ever. Moving forward, we will be making Juneteenth Day or Freedom Day a holiday for our entire global SweetRush team, as we have done Martin Luther King Jr. Day since we opened our doors 20 years ago.

Black Lives Matter. We want to have that written into our cultural DNA, and committing to honor this day is an immediate way to begin.

We know that the road ahead and the many changes that need to be made in our world—not just in connection to racial justice, but in economic and environmental justice—will not be easy. We will make mistakes, stumble, and sometimes fall. We will sometimes say the wrong things or act out of ignorance or privilege. We believe that even though we will not get it perfect, it’s time to act together for real and lasting change.

A Very Sweet Holiday Story

December 18, 2018June 28, 2023 by Andrei Hedstrom

Values-based Culture as a Critical Attractor for Millennials

June 27, 2016June 28, 2023 by Andrei Hedstrom

Learning, Training, and Leadership Opportunities for the Rising Stars in Your Organization

Values-based culture is coming into sharp focus for large organizations and small startups alike, particularly when discussions turn to leadership and learning for Millennials. The largest generation in U.S. history at 92 million individuals, Millennials are already having a major impact on the professional world and on society as a whole. They yield great influence, and I would advocate that this is a good thing. Let me tell you why.

Their Fluency with Technology

Millennials are the digital natives. Even the oldest of them have had access to the Internet since they were in high school. Eighty percent are using mobile devices, and 75 percent regularly engage on social media. They are fluent in the language of technology, and as such they are adept at passing on content that they find distracting, inauthentic, or not aligned with their values. Because of their fluency with technology and their ability to quickly hone in on content that speaks to them, they’re looked to by their elders to inform changes and behavior, perhaps more broadly than we’ve seen in modern human history. Goldman Sachs made a nice video about Millennials in the marketplace and their direct and indirect impacts.

Values of the Millennial Generation

So, what are the values of Millennials? And how can organizations speak to those values to attract, retain, and foster the best and the brightest of this generation?

Based on my research and personal observations, collaboration, learning, openness to change, connectivity, diversity, access, flexibility, autonomy, gratitude, and understanding the meaning and purpose in what they do have all been identified as important values for Millennials. (I’ve provided some links at the end for further reading.) When surveying the trends and behaviors of this generation, we see that this group is optimistic and attracted to liberty and the pursuit of increased well-being and happiness for themselves and others.

Millennials don’t just hold these values; they are adept at operationalizing them with the choices they make. Children of the information age, they have access to more information than any other generation has ever had, which, I believe—combined with their youthful confidence—emboldens them and reduces room for doubt.

Consider the amount of cross-cultural and cross-ideological awareness an educated person can now have, given the access we have to thought leaders, experts, and philosophers through a variety of sources—TED Talks being a prime example. Millennials who seek this kind of information potentially have the most integrated view of the human story, which would inspire them to draw the circle of who they include as “us” around more of the human population and our natural surroundings.

The Connection of Values and Culture

Let’s shift now from how Millennials’ values impact society to what this means in the workplace. Millennials want to work in an environment where they see alignment with their values. They’re concerned about the experience of a workplace they spend significant time in. And, importantly, they have a strong desire for transparency and authenticity in how the organization expresses its values.

Here we see the opportunity for companies to identify and communicate their values-based culture. This goes beyond the traditional vision and mission statements, and has the potential for employees (of all generations) to see the alignment of their own personal values and the company’s values.

It also provides a clear path for understanding our current state and where that value can be strengthened. Assessments such as those offered by the Barrett Values Centre help companies identify values that align with those of their employees, as well as the presence of “limiting” values that provide areas of opportunity. This type of data, collected through a short survey, can offer a starting point for discussion on how to impact culture in a positive way.

Meaning, Purpose, and “Soul Searching”

Identifying and building a set of core values may seem a bit touchy-feely to traditionally conservative organizations. Yet when Millennials talk about meaning and purpose, they’re challenging larger organizations to find not only the means to be financially successful, but also to discover how they can contribute to society. What these trends suggest is a mass movement of companies doing what we might call “soul searching.”

As that soul searching progresses and companies wrestle with their meaning and purpose, including, but more importantly beyond, shareholder value, I believe we’ll see a desire and appreciation for truly unique expressions of each organization’s values and how those values are practiced authentically in the culture. While Boomers might have started this movement on some levels and GenXers’ experiments began to build the case for it, Millennials will certainly be the driving force in making values-based cultures the norm in successful organizations.

This is where the real opportunity begins. I believe Millennials have a gut-level awareness of their influence and the urge to put their shoulders to the wheel. While many of them are still gaining practical life experience, they’re ready to not only contribute but influence and lead.

They’re ready to interject their values into the organizations they are part of, and help the communities they serve move past merely navel-gazing to put those values to work. As a GenXer whose generation moved into leadership roles more reluctantly, I’ve been amazed to see how fully engaged Millennials are. And while they might seek wisdom or life experience from we older bulls, they perceive no meaningful reason why they can’t directly engage the opportunities and challenges they perceive.

Organizational Communication and Training Related to Values and Culture

The HR industry at large is becoming focused on culture and values, particularly as they recognize the importance of values alignment for Millennials. However, most organizations that are practicing their values in meaningful ways still do not do a great job of communicating this to their customers, and less so to their employees.

I believe this represents a great opportunity for companies who want to attract, retain, and foster Millennial workers within their organization.

As HR, communications, and training professionals, you’re in a perfect spot to change this dynamic. For example, in partnership with your CSR department, you can directly impact retention by sharing authentic expressions of your organization’s values, such as CSR-related activities. You can find further reading on this in two pieces I previously wrote, “Corporate Values as the Key to Leveraged Business Communications” and “A Match Made in Heaven: Integrating CSR and Training.”

Here at SweetRush, I spearheaded a project to define our values and culture. I started in written form, and then gave our team members an open invitation to share their own expressions of SweetRush’s values and culture. The contributions were beautiful, heartfelt, and surprisingly varied: photographs, videos, illustrations, poems, and even recipes were contributed. I’m tremendously proud of the result and invite you to take a look at our SweetRush Values & Culture book. This is just one example of how creative you can be with your communications.

Attracting and Retaining the Best and Brightest Millennials: Defining Your Values-Based Culture

Below are the important steps that I believe organizations must take to shift in this direction. None of these steps are easy, but I don’t want to water down or sugar coat the moment. To address the various dynamics surrounding Millennials’ influence in the professional world, there’s really heavy lifting to be done. But just because it’s heavy doesn’t mean your organization can’t enjoy the workout as you transform.

That said, if this is too much to take on at once, focus on understanding and communicating the first item below.

Become a values-based culture focused on a more connected view of our society and planet. Do this from an abundance mindset and not one of scarcity—make the “why” to your business as big as you can muster.
Reduce hierarchical structures that create artificial barriers for your team to engage the work of operationalizing those values.
Provide as many meaningful, just-in-time learning experiences for your team as you can and plenty of opportunities for learners to socialize these experiences and affect future learning experiences, directly or indirectly.
Make it easy for your organization to have authentic discussions about values and practices. Make culture hacking your thing.
Make sure you have leaders who care as much about culture as strategy, and don’t be afraid to integrate deeper thinkers and creative types into highly influential positions. With organizations increasingly differentiated by values and cultures, it should not be surprising to find people who have artistic mindsets or even spiritual callings.
Come to terms and find some joy in the fact that your organization is going to change—big time!

This is a defining moment in many ways for human society. On one hand, we’re facing the negative impacts that large organizations have had on the planet as a whole. On the other hand, we’re starting to become aware of the abundance that can come from identifying and deepening the “why” (the meaning and the purpose) of our efforts.

Millennials are at the focal point of this defining moment, with their numbers, technological adeptness, level of education, and desire for authentic alignment of values. This focal point, for those of us who take a broader view of the human story—whether in shaping a successful multigenerational organization or working toward a more sustainable and harmonious world—is one of great importance.

For Further Reading: Human Consciousness View

For those of you who like to look a little deeper at things, there is a human consciousness view that is very interesting. Based on the values they subscribe to, it seems that Millennials may be edging into the highest stages of consciousness. Researchers in that field suggest that these higher stages of human consciousness are defined by the worldview that we are all part of a single living system, and that each life has a unique and collective value. One model of human consciousness called “Spiral Dynamics” calls these stages the “Integrative or Holistic valueMEMEs” or, together, a “Being-based valueMEME.”

I would assert that with this footing in a being-based value meme (as opposed to a subsistence-based meme), Millennials are positioned to offer a significant tipping point for human consciousness, as they challenge the world to practice values that ultimately lead us into a more abundance-minded place. A place in which we see our organizations as unique human parts within a larger and dynamic single planetary community.

As the radical disparity between Millennials in industrialized nations and their counterparts in oppressed, marginalized, or impoverished parts of the world becomes more evident, this tipping point becomes a hotbed for organizations to engage the significant challenges our global society faces. Millennials might just be the pioneers of ending some of the biggies like global hunger, human impact on climate and disease, and much more.

From a business perspective, for those who can embrace this larger perspective, this spells an almost boundless set of opportunities to activate and engage. Becoming a vibrant organization that does well by doing good is the positive impact that values-based cultures have to offer.

Additional Resources

PewResearchCenter, “Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next. Confident. Connected. Open to Change.”

Forbes, “The New Millennial Values.”

Full Circle Public Relations, “Marketing to Millennials (Part 3).”

KPCB 2015 Internet Trends, Slide 110, “Millennial Work Values = Perception Disconnect?”

The Brookings Institution, “11 Facts about the Millennial Generation”—and in particular the last quoted excerpt in this article (see below), which is from a paper written by Morley Winograd and Michael Hais called “How Millennials Could Upend Wall Street and Corporate America.”

“…the force of the changes they are capable of creating is beginning to be felt in all sectors of America’s economy. The initial tremors are already changing consumer markets and forcing corporations to change their workplace practices. But soon, as Millennials become an increasingly large share of the adult population and gather more and more wealth, the generation’s size and unity of belief will cause seismic shifts in the nation’s financial sector, shaking it to its very foundations and leading to major changes in the nation’s board rooms. As Millennials become CEOs, or determine the fate of those who are, they will change the purpose and priorities of companies in order to bring their strategies into alignment with the generation’s values and beliefs.”

For more about Millennials in the workplace, see my colleague Erin Krebs’ post, “Tips for Training Millennials”.

Procedural Justice in a Service-Based Business

February 25, 2016June 28, 2023 by Andrei Hedstrom

About a decade ago, a friend and client partner introduced me to the concept of “procedural justice,” and I have been applying it ever since.

I’d like to share the definition of procedural justice from Wikipedia. It’s a bit unwieldy, but stay with me. Skim if you need to.
Procedural justice concerns the fairness and the transparency of the processes by which decisions are made, and may be contrasted with distributive justice (fairness in the distribution of rights or resources), and retributive justice (fairness in the punishment of wrongs). Hearing all parties before a decision is made is one step that would be considered appropriate to be taken in order that a process may then be characterized as procedurally fair. Some theories of procedural justice hold that fair procedure leads to equitable outcomes, even if the requirements of distributive or restorative justice are not met. It has been suggested that this is the outcome of the higher quality interpersonal interactions often found in the procedural justice process, which has shown to be stronger in affecting the perception of fairness during conflict resolution.

I know, this definition feels like something being explained by a lawyer, so let me give you a pragmatic example to make it relevant to the day-to-day efforts of a service-based business.

Consider this situation faced by a manager of an office: It’s Friday afternoon when the manager learns that a key account is in jeopardy and the only way to save it is for the team to come in over the weekend to make sure deliverables are completed before Monday.

Procedurally unjust action:
The manager asks everyone to join an emergency meeting, then walks into the conference room and says, “Everyone has to come in and work this weekend. Cancel your plans and be here at 8 a.m. sharp tomorrow.” The manager walks out of the office. The team commences a marathon gripe session that lasts through the weekend and into the next week.

Procedurally just action:
The manager asks everyone to join an emergency meeting to discuss a very important account. Before the meeting, she meets with two key influencers, John and Sandy, and explains the situation and the need to rally the team to save the account. John and Sandy are fired up and ready to be there. Then the manager walks into the conference room and says, “I have just learned that our most important account is in jeopardy. There is a deliverable that must be finished by Monday morning or we could lose the account for good. I know that everyone probably has plans this weekend and you have all been working hard, but I need to ask for a team collaboration over the weekend to make sure we keep our business strong. I had a chance to connect with John and Sandy and they have both agreed to join me to get the work done. I need to ask that everyone who can join us does so. I will have lunch and snacks brought in so we can focus together on getting the work done and wrap it up as soon as possible. For anyone who can come in, you can take comp days when it fits with your workload. Anyone who cannot join us, please see me directly after this meeting so your tasks can be delegated to someone else.” The manager stays after meeting to answer any questions. Team rallies and the account is saved.

As you can see, applied procedural justice is not just policy and procedure; it’s the process in which we go about dealing with specific situations.

Here is another situation related to a difficult client conversation that will feel familiar to many of you.

Consider a situation in which a services team is just wrapping up a project with a client. The client is happy and has requested the team take on a second project of similar scope. The project team lead reports that the client had some challenges providing their review feedback in a timely fashion, which caused challenges on the first project. During the project, the team lead had mentioned a few times that the client partner’s performance had caused setbacks for the team, but no formal change order or complaint was shared with the client. However, the team lead was frustrated, as was the team.

Procedurally unjust action:
The project team lead, while still being frustrated by the client partner’s performance, scopes the next project, anticipating the client partner will perform the same way. He builds in new assumptions and additional work effort, and then adds a little more on top of that… well, just in case. He then sends off the statement of work (SOW) to the client partner and goes out on a two-day vacation. The client partner gets the SOW, compares it to the last project, and thinks, “What the…?” She calls the team lead, who can’t be reached for several days, causing the client partner to wonder if she’s picked the right vendor team after all.

Procedurally just action:
The project team leads, knowing the team is frustrated, collaborates closely with a few colleagues to scope the new project in a way that is fair for all parties. Once he has a sense that the new project will take longer or cost more, he has an informal conversation with the client partner. He lets her know that the team had incurred additional expenses on the previous project due to the client partner’s performance. The client partner is given an opportunity to explain how things will be different on the new project or agree that it is reasonable because the new project would present the same constraints that caused the previous challenges. The team lead formalizes the agreement in the SOW and sets up a meeting to address any concerns. The team lead presents the new agreement to the project team so they know that the challenges they struggled with have been addressed. Project 2 kicks off.

While there are exceptions to the rule, most of us have a sense of fairness. It is this sense of fairness and the commitment to finding mutually beneficial agreements that create the trust that can be drawn upon in difficult situations.

At SweetRush, we try very hard to apply procedural justice to conflicts involving employees, contract negotiations, production pushes, price negotiations, and more. And with some exceptions, taking the lead on creating a procedurally just situation has built stronger relationships. It puts everyone on the same side of the table looking for a mutually fair outcome, which strengthens the idea that we are all in it together to create a successful experience and project outcome.

Wolves and Rivers — Innovative Ideas for Organizational Development and Sales

May 15, 2014September 15, 2022 by Andrei Hedstrom

What Are Your Wolves and Rivers? Applied Biomimicry Can Yield Innovative Ideas.

Take a second and consider a few tough problems you face at work or in life. More than likely, if you think about possible solutions, they are very direct—if nail, then hammer. We human beings often make some of our biggest mistakes when we are trying to be overly direct (too much force, too little finesse), or when we are short-sighted or overreact in the way we address challenges.

Yet, as we know, there’s more than one way to solve a problem, and those who step outside the obvious path are heralded as innovators. What is one of the most inspiring sources of innovation? Nature.

When considering design inspiration in nature, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. So, it’s movie time! (This video is 4:33 minutes and well worth your time!)

Can you feel it? The awakening that occurs when we consider that the energies we apply, even if small, can have earth-moving potential? The rippling impact of the Yellowstone wolves on their environment is an example of a trophic cascade: “An ecological process that starts at the top of the food chain and tumbles all the way down to the bottom.” The wolves were not a direct solution to a destabilized river system, but their actions had cascading positive effects, allowing for more overall abundance.

Applying the Concept of Wolves and Rivers: Innovative Ideas for Education Challenges

Let’s see how we can apply the concept of trophic cascades to some organizational challenges. Pretend you are a school principal and you are facing declining math test scores. What do you do? Have students spend more time in classes doing math? Cut other programs and add math tutors?

Where is your wolf? Instead of using the aforementioned direct solutions, consider investing in a top-notch music program. Multiple studies over the last few decades have illustrated that music instruction increases math ability. But the music program (WOLF) wouldn’t just impact math scores (DEER) because music programs have been statistically proven to significantly and positively impact students in many other ways (RIVERS, BEARS, BIRDS, TREES, and so forth.)

Such positive effects include:

Improved attendance rates
Improved overall grades
Better overall performance on all standardized tests
Better overall language skills
Increased performance of people with learning disabilities
Boost in student confidence
Reduction in rates of drug addiction
Increased likelihood of graduating from high school and college
Increased SAT scores

(See this research summary at VH1’s Save the Music Foundation.)

A solid music department could change the course of the rivers at your school. Strange that we often hear stories of schools closing these very programs because they need to narrow the curriculum to address standardized tests. Actually there are plenty of examples of the wolf in education—check out Stephen Ritz, a South Bronx teacher, and his students addressing challenges by growing food and all of the amazing, rippling effects of their simple acts.

Innovative Ideas for Sales and Marketing Challenges

Recently one of our clients put us in the wolf’s role. A marketing and sales group for a large manufacturing company was headed up by a dynamic leader and a great team of folks. They were thinking outside of the normal ways to attract new customers—spiff programs, Super Bowl ads, and other familiar paths. They were looking for a wolf.

Creating an education-based marketing strategy both for sales associates and consumers was where we came in. It was a bold move: creating a curriculum that supported independent dealers and stores to better train their sales associates, not only in how to sell the client’s specific products, but how to be better sales professionals in general. We also supported the people coaching the sales associates—creating a cascade of job aids, communications, and courses infused with gamification. All of this was tied into a highly engaging, gamified online portal.

In addition to these steps, since our client cares about the environment, they have invested sizable amounts into R&D for sustainable products. They are real innovators, and a great fit for the customer demographic called LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability). LOHAS customers care about sustainable products, and are more receptive to advertising and marketing in the form of shareable educational materials that highlight products and the values behind them. LOHAS consider where they spend their money to be a form of activism, and educational marketing materials allow them to share their purchases with people who have similar values.

Consider some of the rivers:

Sales associates sell more, which benefits them, our client, and the dealers
Training impacts retention and engagement for associates
Reduced work effort on the part of independent dealer managers
Better customer service
Better informed customers make happier customers
Better informed customers and sales associates lead to product selection that matches the customer’s needs and increases likelihood of repeat business
Targeted marketing to LOHAS gives our client a competitive edge in one of the fastest-growing customer demographics
Success in marketing to LOHAS emboldens sustainability-related initiatives for our client and the industry as a whole

Can Examples of Biomimicry Inform Innovative Ideas For All Kinds of Business Challenges?

Part of what excites me about trophic cascades is that once again I see how many rich and innovative solutions can be derived from natural systems and elements. I have long been a fan of the emerging field of biomimicry (see also Janine Benyus’s TED talk).

In a future post I will share more ideas around biomimicry, but for now, I want to broaden the discussion and demonstrate that the metaphorical well is deeper and wider than just wolves and rivers. Here are some quick, inspiring ideas:

As a CEO concerned with business development, I can’t help but consider this piece on elephants as gardeners. (Watch this video from BBC.) Instead of cold calling and direct sales, how do we consume and generate new opportunities?

Or this one, where mangrove forests act as shields against rough weather. (Watch this video from BBC.) Is this a model for Internet security developers? How do you create such a complex network of activity and digital mass that no one can come out the other side?

Or as a consultant for a Big 4 firm, what can I learn from the Amazon’s Flying Rivers that could help a manufacturing client deal with water shortages in the long term? (Watch this video from BBC.)

My Own Wolves and Rivers: Seeking Innovative Ideas for Organizational Development

I have two current organizational development (OD) challenges to which I am interested in applying this kind of thinking. First up are business development efforts, including consultative sales, account management, proposals, awards and speaking opportunities, and overall marketing. The second is operational: while some production environments lend themselves to the more simplistic factory model, others do not. As a CEO of a creative firm delivering customized training and communications solutions, I am interested in scalable production models that do not become overly obsessed with efficiency at the cost of creativity.

Considering these challenges in the light of lessons learned from the wolves and rivers of Yellowstone Park, I’m mapping them in new ways. My approach is less linear and direct cause-and-effect, and more, as Carl Jung would look at content in psychoanalysis, circumambulation—walking around each interaction within the cascades. In this exercise, even if I have not landed on the exact strategy in quick order, I become a better observer and find myself asking better questions. Sometimes it is the willingness to remain the state of questioning that delivers the real innovations and often opens ourselves up to the fact that a cascade within any system involves others—other people’s answers and questions contributing to the larger system of possibilities. It is at once both bewildering and inspiring.

If you have noticed interesting trophic cascades and applied biomimicry yielding innovative ideas for organizational development, marketing and sales, education, or any other endeavor, please share them with me. I am very excited to integrate this into my approach to work and life, and welcome an open dialog with others.