IPI Blog & White Papers

The Mayan Calendar ends December 21, 2012.  Beyond that there is nothing but mystery… at least for the Mayans.  Whether the world will end then or not, the fact is we’re already experiencing a cataclysmic shuddering in our economic and societal foundations.  Globally article after article has pointed to the crumbling clay feet of the world’s greatest Superpower.  Yes, the Great Shift is upon us whether we’re ready for it or not.

This blog and this entire website are about helping people and organizations learn to think differently in order to create the circumstances they most desire; including desires for prosperity and profitability.  But given human nature we won’t change our mind-set until something blows up in our faces and forces us to change – much like the economic meltdown of the last few months.  As someone said, the Shift has to hit the fan before we’ll wake up.

Or maybe there is more openness than we’ve imagined.  My sense is that many individuals and organizations are casting about for a new perspective.  What we’ve counted on forever isn’t relevant any more.  Elsewhere on this site I’ve described three levels on which organizations can operate:

1. The Mechanistic level made up of Imitators
2. The Visionary level made up of Innovators
3. The Quantum or Infinite Possibilities level made up of the Inspired Ones who see a whole new world of opportunity opening up.

Most people have been raised in the command and control Mechanistic mode and they’re tired of feeling like clogs in a machine.  Others have been blessed to be part of a Visionary experience where they’ve had the chance to be more of who they are.  Neither experience is satisfying any more.

Both groups know that somewhere somehow there’s another way.  A way to understand how the universe works.  A way to see and access our unlimited ability to harness the creative energy within and around us.   A way to move mountains.

What has surprised me as I’ve begun to help businesses start their own Infinite Possibilities Initiatives is how many people admit to believing that there’s a power and approach that we’ve not tapped into yet in corporate America.  They’re reading quantum literature from Chopra, Braden, Hawkins, Taggart, Wilbur, Lipton and others.  In a ‘coming-out-of-the-closet’ kind of way they want to talk about a new way to live and work; a new unlimited source of energy that will light a whole new world.

So the question is: Do you sense something shifting in you and those around you? And if so, what do you think is going on?

Download “Shift Upon Us” Now!

Get the conversation started. Call Ian Percy today at 480-502-3898 or Contact Us Online.

“The greatest danger facing corporations today is that they’ll change but not transform.” That’s the warning from Daniel Burrus one of the most renown and accurate technology forecasters on the planet.

The universe does not seem to have much patience with timid organizations that retreat in the face of a storm or that view the world as moving so slowly they can take their own sweet time with tiny incremental steps.

Many of you are fed up with the sluggishness of your organization. You’re puzzled by the absence of energetic engagement, courageous decision-making and innovative thinking. You’re flabbergasted by the lack of urgency perhaps even among the leadership team. And for goodness sake why does it seem like you have to start every in-depth conversation and be the initiator of every idea?

Mechanistic Focus

If you want to be in the same category as 90% of other organizations scrambling to survive, the “Mechanistic Focus” is your choice. It’s a perspective that assumes you can move people and things around by dictum and if they can’t do the job you’ll find someone who will. Basically it’s treating people like machines.

Unfortunately there is lots of fear-driven compliance in this model but not much innovative thinking. That drives the organization to look externally for “Best Practices” and develop a mantra of “Let’s not reinvent the wheel.” What that really means is “We don’t have any creative ideas of our own so let’s go find them elsewhere.”

Visionary Focus

The Visionary Focus model is where people go to find a “Best Practice.” These organizations really do ‘think outside the box’ and they tend to be energizing and rewarding places to work. Those in this category – and we estimate 9% of organizations are here – are usually industry-leaders.

This is where we’ve focused our work in past years with significant results. Now, however, we’re seeing a whole new world beyond that.

Infinite Possibilities

Finally in the rare air are the 1% of companies who understand what it means to think and expect Infinite Possibilities. This is where the ‘shift’ is taking place as people learn to think differently and believe in their own limitless ability to create a richly imagined future. This is where all that you can be is stored waiting for you to claim it and set it free.

Leaders at this level come to understand how their own subconscious beliefs need to be brought into alignment with their conscious desires. They learn how universal energy works, become comfortable with the wisdom of their own intuition and operate out of an ‘abundance’ mindset rather than one of lack and victimization. In these organizations there are no boxes to think out of because there is total alignment with mutual responsibilities and accountabilities.

This model is highly disparaged by those in the Mechanistic world. Just the idea of reducing bureaucratic control, trusting people to do what’s right and taking advantage of a steady stream of breakthrough innovations sends them into apoplectic shock. “How do you contain and control all the energy?” they wonder. The truth is if you understand how it works, the last thing you want is ‘containment’.

If you want the passion back throughout your organization there is no viable option but to start a transformation by launching your own Infinite Possibilities Initiative. What you end up with is a spirited, simple, lightning-quick and highly successful organization. It’s well worth a conversation.

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Contact Ian Percy to start your transformation!

If “thinking outside the box” is so wonderful why do we have boxes in the first place? When you think about it most of us were raised in boxes. As kids at home we had to “abided by my rules” as long as we were “under my roof;” schooling was largely a matter of sitting up straight in our boxes; religion made us do the same thing only in better clothes; and our work environments are likely the boxiest places of all.

Alright, maybe I wasn’t in the best of moods. But when I saw the picture of the chickens in this egg farm I immediately thought of the boxes in a typical organizational chart; everyone sitting dutifully in their place fulfilling their measurable egg-laying obligations. Knowing that these chickens are almost born and raised in these cages breaks your heart. So is there a lesson to be learned here?

Compare that picture to this one of a ‘free-range’ egg farm. It has much better fueng shui! And by all reports you get a far better and more profitable product from this kind of organization. Customers are willing to pay a premium for these eggs.

The lesson here is about setting employees free. To think, communicate and perform to their maximum potential.

Much of the stress you feel in the work environment can be traced to far too many controls and too much complexity. Unfortunately when people feel that stress they actually add more controls and complexity and consequently throw fuel on the fire!

You can easily see this in government programs. When the system doesn’t accomplish what was intended, they add on oversight committees and other redundant bureaucracy. The frequent outcome is that they successfully put the program out of its misery.

Of course we need some bureaucracy and some policies. A nursing director once said: “Policies are just scar tissue over an error!” Your Infinite Possibilities Initiative process will take a look at whether or not you’ve gone too heavy on such controls.

Consider this…

All bureaucracy and policies are fear driven. Why does a company need three and four signatures for a purchase of a hundred dollars? It’s because they’re afraid someone will make an unnecessary purchase and bankrupt the company. Why do they have supervisors supervising supervisors? Because they’re afraid something won’t get done. Why do they establish an elaborate dress-code policy? Because they’re afraid someone will show up wearing jeans – which of course they can if it’s Friday.

Most organizations are driven by fear! If everyone in your organization developed full trust in each other you’d need very little of these bureaucratic controls. The result would be spiritual and intellectual freedom. “Free” people think better, they’re more imaginative, have more energy and will accomplish so much more for the organization.

Some corporate leaders just plain don’t believe that. Their starting assumption is that people are lazy, self-centered and will ‘put it’ to their employer every chance they get. That is very sad and they’re not likely to become clients of ours.

But if you believe that people want the chance to perform to their maximum potential, that they love to dream big and that they’ll give heart and soul to a purpose they believe in – then it’s time for transformation to begin.

Download "Free the Chickens" Now!

Start Thinking Outside the Box, Contact Ian Percy today

Here it is in a nutshell. If there is a gap between what you consciously want for your organization and where your organization is right now, the difference can be attributed to the mind-set within your organization. Put another way; the performance of an organization always matches perfectly how that organization thinks.

That means you can do anything you want to move the organization ahead – reengineer, slash costs, do a merger or acquisition, change half the executive team, create a new logo and brand – but you will always, over time, revert back to how you currently think.

It is exactly the same dynamic as someone making $24, 000 winning $30 million in a lottery. Time after time that money will be thrown away until the ‘winner’ is back down to $24,000 a year. That’s because they have a $24,000 mindset. It’s like we all have a success thermostat in our heads – actually it’s in our subconscious. Likewise no one can build a $100 million company with a $10 million mindset.

The whole idea of an Infinite Possibilities Initiative (IPI) is to dramatically change your organization’s success thermostat. New science on the role of the subconscious has unlocked the most effective, efficient and almost effortless path to doing exactly that.

It’s time to think in a new way.

Science has proven unequivocally that your subconscious mind controls about 95% of how you engage life and the world around you…including how you lead and how you attract your customers. All the thinking and decision-making you do with your conscious mind every day adds up to only about 5%.

What doesn’t make sense is that traditional efforts to create positive change and increase profitability are all targeted at the conscious level – at only 5% of your power to change things. That’s an important dimension to be sure, but the major difference is that this IPI approach also engages the other critical 95%!

Strategy and the Mind

Here’s a scenario you’ve been through. The executive team holds a retreat to set out key strategic directions. Data is analyzed every which way, great and heated discussions ensue as experienced thinking minds fight to put certain perspectives on the table. Finally to great rejoicing six key strategic directions make it to the whiteboard. The CEO goes carefully around the table to ensure that the entire team is in agreement with this strategy. All concur with enthusiasm.

All of this is happening at the conscious thinking level. Everyone honestly says they support the strategic direction.

But what about on the subconscious level? Remember that subconscious beliefs and feelings have a 95% influence on whether the team will execute on those strategies or not. While your conscious mind enables you to make adjustments in how you get through your day, it is your subconscious that rules.

In the IPI process we apply quantum science-based techniques for identifying any subconscious beliefs and feelings that could sabotage conscious intentions like a strategic plan. In one instance we found that out of seven executives, three of them showed subconscious disbelief toward exactly the same strategy.

First let’s be clear. Even those three executives were surprised. It wasn’t something they were consciously aware of. So this has nothing to do with their attitude or motivation – it’s all the result of the natural subconscious programming we all receive throughout our lifetime.

Nevertheless the fact remained that something in their belief system, if left unchanged, would gradually in almost undetectable ways undermine the execution of that particular strategy. Chances are this very thing is operating within your executive team as well. Maybe this is why the same issues come up for discussion time after time with nothing ever changing. Perhaps unrecognized subconscious disbelief is sabotaging attempts to execute. We’d like to help you find out.

When the subconscious beliefs and feelings of the entire executive team are brought into full alignment and support of their conscious intentions miracles begin to happen.

The chances are good that no other consultants have raised this kind of thinking. But if you want to lead your organization to a new place only new thinking will take you there.

Think of how this applies to sales performance. Every sales person and producer you have self-sabotages their performance – even your very top producers.

You’re thrilled at your million dollar producer. But wouldn’t it be a shame if at the end of the day you discovered they had the potential to be a $10 million producer? Even if that were remotely possible wouldn’t you see value in exploring that possibility?

The Infinite Possibilities Initiative approach enables you and your organization to include but go far beyond all you’ve experienced in trying to make significant change happen. We are not content with enabling change; we’re after exponential leaps in performance and profitability.

It’s only by engaging both the conscious and subconscious minds within your organization that you access this limitless power you already have.

© The Ian Percy Corporation

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Get the conversation started. Call Ian Percy today at 480-502-3898 or Contact Us Online.

If you ask a great artist how she creates such beautiful paintings she is not likely to say: “Step one you do this, step two you do that…” Creating art is a spiritual experience – you find the painting in your soul and you let it out. When you’re ‘in the zone’ it’s a transcendent, effortless and beautiful experience overflowing with infinite possibilities. Believe it or not that is also how corporate leadership is designed to work. Chances are that’s a far cry from your daily experience; though that can be changed in a moment.

All that you and your organization can be is already in the minds and hearts of those connected with you; it’s already part of the fabric of the universe. Everything that will ever be possible for you is already possible. Right here and right now. It needs to be set free and until that happens you will be entangled in stress, struggle, uncertainty and that private nagging thought that maybe you’re just not up to the challenges of the situation. You do not need to put up with any of that.

Some who enquire about this work are disappointed that there is no pre-defined ‘paint-by-numbers’ process for reaching your infinite possibilities. That’s what they’re used to – someone who comes in and tells people exactly what to do. If that is truly what you want, this isn’t the place to look.

Your infinite possibilities are within you, not within us. Our work is to help your people think differently and do what they already know they need to do. Certainly there are lessons and ideas that help to express the emerging vision more clearly and effectively but they do not drive the art. How you and your team will actually paint the picture of your infinite possibilities will emerge out of our initial conversation and exploration.

That said, there are six transformational principles that have proven immensely helpful when applied to the process.

First Principle: People become involved by choice

Most of these Infinite Possibilities Initiatives start with an orientation session for all managers and sometimes all employees. They are shown how their minds can influence their circumstances and what incredible potential they have both in their lives and at their work. And then an invitation is extended to individuals, functions and departments to become involved in making the company all it can be.

When they put their hands up and say “Count me in!” you know it’s coming out of their heart and that they are not simply being compliant. This cannot work if it’s a ‘command performance’.

Second Principle: Incorporate the dreams of the individuals

Many organizations demand that employees help fulfill the ‘vision’ of the organization but never give a second’s thought to what the employee’s own dreams might be. When people see that work is not just a source of income but can actually help achieve one’s personal aspirations, performance moves to a whole new level. Right now it’s not likely you truly know the depth of talent, drive and desires of your employees. It’s a treasure trove you need to dig into.

Third Principle: Set exponentially higher goals

You will be amazed how many problems are caused because goals are set too low. Within our DNA, on a cellular level, we all know our highest potential. Anything short of that is a betrayal and an insult to the Self. If a “reasonable” revenue goal is $10 million, what would you need to do to hit $100 million? If you’re told you can have the new software up and running in eight to ten months, what would it take to have it running in six? We are born to play big – give your people permission to do so!

Fourth Principle: Total energetic alignment

This principle will be a stretch for some. It has to do with ensuring that our subconscious beliefs support our conscious desires. Integrated into your Infinite Possibilities Initiative will be a proprietary science called “Bio-energetic synchronization.” It’s an amazing process through which a person can tell if they are holding any beliefs in their subconscious that will undermine what they say they want to accomplish. Not only can we help the person identify a disabling belief, we show them how to release it so it no longer limits their success.

Ever wonder why certain agreed-upon strategies never get implemented in your company even though the entire executive team agreed to the plan? Why you put the same things on the flipchart year after year? The reason is that ‘agreement’ happened on the conscious level while on the subconscious level there wasn’t agreement at all and the plan was sabotaged in almost imperceptible ways. Getting total energetic alignment makes all the difference in the world. We’ll show you how to do that.

Fifth Principle: ‘Free-form’ communication

On the home page there is a link to an exploration called “Free the Chickens!” that will help you really understand the point being made here.

In a highly bureaucratic organization people are directed to follow the “lines of communication.” Unfortunately rarely are the people who actually need to talk to each other side by side on that line. The secret of transformation is to have the right people having the right conversations at the right time! Many organizations are deliberately designed to prevent that from happening.

Sixth Principle: Enabling leadership

This may be the ‘secret sauce’ of transformation. The simple truth is this: leaders either disable or enable. After over three decades of organizational work the brutal reality is that most of the time leaders disable employees far more than they enable them. In the IPI process leaders run interference by moving needless policies, structures and systems out of the way of people who want to perform at a supernatural level. The higher one’s leadership role, the more of an enabler they need to become.

Once again…your Infinite Possibilities Initiative is a process that flows out of the minds, hearts and souls within your organization; it is not imposed by external consultants. Our work is to also be enablers, showing and encouraging your organization to reach for the highest level of purpose, passion, performance and profitability possible.

The world needs you and your organization to be all it can be and whatever that may be is already within you. Let’s let it out.

Download "The Six Principles of an Infinite Possibilities Initiative" Now!

It’s hard to imagine anyone deliberately managing their organization through fear. But it just may be that fear is playing a bigger part in how your organization functions and in its profitability than you imagine. And not in a good way.

Look at this picture. What are you thinking as you tee up? Beyond “What deranged person designed this hole?” most of us just know we’re going to end up in the sand. And sure enough when we do we say “I was afraid of that.” Of course Tiger Woods would say “What sand?”

The 15th century French writer Francois duc de la Rochefoucauld said: “We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.” That is true in golf and certainly true in business.

These days there’s a lot of fear out there and not all that much hope. This paper proposes that organizations inflict fear upon themselves to such a degree that the resulting behaviors turn those fears into self-fulfilling prophesies. Fear is a self-inflicted wound that can turn fatal.

Where do our fears come from?

It starts with bureaucracy. When businesses start up with a handful of people working out of a basement there’s no fear. Maybe there should be but there isn’t. People trust each other and simply do what needs to be done. No rules or job descriptions or silos. Just the joy of launching a dream.

Then people are added and we’re not quite so sure about them. So we build an organizational chart with boxes and lines of control because we’re afraid of things falling between the cracks – as they surely will because we perform according to our fears. When someone lets the team down we become even more fearful and add more controls and bureaucracy to ensure it never happens again – which it surely will because we perform according to our fears. The more bureaucracy we add the more logs we put on the fear fire.

We do that with policies too. A Director of Nursing friend once said “Policies are just scar tissue over an error.” Someone does something not too smart and suddenly we become afraid others will do the same thing and so we issue a policy. In other words all bureaucracy and policies are fear driven. And all of it can all be traced back to a lack of trust in the organization.

If trust is low in your organization almost by definition that organization is fear driven. According to a Harris poll only 15% of people trust big business and that is only slightly better than the 8% who trust politicians. Never mind the soft costs of distrust, a Watson Wyatt found that the return in a high trust organization is 300% higher than in a low trust one.

I’ve seen policies over the most obscure issues and multiple pages just describing the dress code. Of course once you start down this road it is almost impossible to stop from adding policy on top of policy. Again – all the result of fear.

In no way is it being suggested that we need no bureaucracy and no policies – though entertaining that idea is refreshing. If we didn’t have rules we’d be killing each other at intersections. The basic idea being put forward here is to simplify as much as possible, trust people a little more, and unless we’d be hurt or go to jail without it – get rid of every policy you can. While you’re at it simplify the bureaucracy as well. Maybe there is no need to have three people sign off a $100 purchase order.

In short – set people free from all of these restraints. The leader’s job is to enable people doing all they are capable of doing. When things get in the way, remove them!

And yes, there may be a few who let you down in spite of all your efforts. If they can’t think and do what’s right for the customer, your company and their colleagues then they need to find a better fit somewhere else.

In a flat world the competitive differentiator depends on relationships and relationships depend on trust. Thomas Friedman in “The World is Flat” writes: “…trust allows us to take down walls, remove barriers and eliminate friction…trust is essential in a flat world.” Open up, let go and enable people to be all they can be.

© The Ian Percy Corporation

Download “From Fear to Freedom” Now!

Get the conversation started. Call Ian Percy today at 480-502-3898 or Contact Us Online.