23andMe for Organizations
A lot of emphases is put on people and organizations to find themselves these days. Simon Sinek’s excellent book, “Start with Why” has propelled these conversations. We designed our organization to help other leaders and organizations fulfill their vision and calling. With this in mind, we tend to dive into the “Who” before the “Why.” Knowing who you are is such a foundational piece in building your life or your organization.
With that said, leaders of organizations tend to identify who they want to be rather than who they are. Misidentification is a classic misstep. We do this when we are talking about our individual lives, too. We often talk about who we want to be perceived as, or the story we have come to believe about ourselves. For instance, many people in the United States think they are Irish. It has been said there are more people who claim to be “Irish” in the United States, than the whole population of Ireland itself!
My last name is Kirkpatrick; the idea of Irish heritage was a story we heard often growing up in our household. Nevermind that our mother said she was Welsh and German. My father was decisive in our last name being Scotch-Irish, with the emphasis on St. Patrick and the Irish side of our heritage. Taking hold of this, I proceed to get a rather large Shamrock tattoo with the Irish Flag colors proudly filling in clover. I liked the symbol and the idea of having a strong Irish heritage.
Some of you might know where this is going. The story I had been told about my heritage; the story I told myself and had come to find identity in, laid undisturbed for years. My shamrock tattoo quietly faded, and I stopped thinking about “who” I was. That is until my sister randomly texted me: “Congrats, it seems we’re fully Scottish with no Irish in us.” These over-the-counter DNA tests were starting to pop up in retail stores across America, and she took one out of curiosity. The claims of 23andMe and others to submit a DNA sample and receive results letting the individual know where specifically, their origin story starts.
While that small anecdote is humorous and only led to a minor existential upheaval in my life, it is one repeated in one form or fashion in organizations across the world. Was I a different person before those results came in than I was after? Of course not. The only thing which changed was my perspective. One of the best Principles laid out by Ray Dalio is “Realize that you have nothing to fear from knowing the truth.”
Here is the truth; the quicker you realize precisely who you are or who your organization is, the sooner you will be able to function in your intended design. Of course, this is simpler to do individually rather than organizationally, but in many ways, it is harder. Individually speaking, this is an incredibly personal journey, and we can tend to have blinders on during this process. That is why 360degree reviews and other personality tests can be essential for moving the ball forward. Creating a Life Plan would be essential in this as well. The Life Plans we help create utilize the first third of the process of understanding your past and who you are in order to move forward.
Creating a Life Plan can happen organizationally as well. You could opt for a DIY approach to this process, or you have experts like Second Chair Solutions come in and guide your team through this journey. What is essential is completing the process. The information and assessments have to be gathered, collated, and organized. Then a trained eye needs to help sift through what is the cultural DNA (reoccurring patterns) and what was just a one-time event. For instance, the difference in being from Ireland, and having visited Ireland once on vacation. One of the best ways to start this off, whether personally or organizationally, is to identify the significant wins in your history.
These questions are a good starting point:
When did we feel like the wind was at our back?
Who would be on our Mt. Rushmore, and why?
Who were the best parts of our organization?
When have we continued to fall short?
Our team at Second Chair Solutions would be glad to help guide you in this process. You can set up a free call here, or shoot us a text if you have a quick question.