From time to time I asked myself, “Do I want to do this for another 20 years?”. I could, if I had to, but I was becoming fed up with managing IT projects. Large scale transformation projects always involve some resistance to change. People are afraid of change, threatened by its prospects. Leading people through change is one of the treats of the profession. But every so often resistance has the ugly face of corporate politics and executive rivalry. Such was the project I managed in 2017 for a large organization in the public sector. Some executives warned the board that the project was doomed to fail and did everything within their power to prove they were right. It was a long and ugly political battle all the way through. Eventually the project was completed on time and budget and considered a great success. The opposing executives resigned, but for me it was a victory I didn’t enjoy. Working in a toxic corporate culture was a compromise I did not want to make again. As a contractor you don’t get to pick the cultures you work for. It was time for me to create the culture I wanted.
Coaching, on the other hand, was a very different experience. For two days a week I worked in my relaxed private clinic in Tel Aviv. ‘Satya’ is a meditative coaching method. It’s all about slowing down, learning to breathe and to listen to subtleties. It has a spiritual essence far away from working to meet project deadlines. I worked with individuals, adults and teenagers, and helped them observe their lives, find out what was most important for them, and live the life they valued. Satya transformed my life for the better, and I felt fortunate to be able to do the same for others. It gave me a sense of purpose and meaning, above and beyond the gratifications of any form of business achievement.
Yet coaching is a solitary profession, without the comradery of teamwork and the excitement of a group of people collaborating towards a common goal. As a coach I work with an individual for a full hour, then take a few minutes for notes and a short break before the next client comes in. An hour of coaching is much more disciplined than an ‘hour at the office’. You need to be completely focused and attentive to the client sitting in front of you, and be constantly aware of your own thought processes so as not to be biased. There’s no slack for chit-chat, no joking or breaking for coffee like in teamwork. I’ve learned that belonging to and leading a team to accomplishments was important to me. So combining management and personal coaching was something I cherished and wanted to preserve.
As I was thinking about my options I recalled the teachings of Stephen R. Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Covey proposes a framework for self development he calls 'the maturity continuum', a process through which a person matures from dependence to independence and eventually to interdependence, as I shall explain:
We are dependent by birth. Our very existence depends on our parents or some other person who takes care of us physically, mentally and emotionally. As we grow we seek to become independent - to make our own choices, to move out of our parents' home and earn money for ourselves. Of course, as social beings, we will always be dependent on others to a certain extent. So when I refer to independence I refer to the mental state of 'being independent’ - recognizing that we are the architects of our lives, knowing that we always have a choice. Independence is about exercising our responsibility for our actions and the choices we make.
The state of mind of ‘being independent’ is not a function of position, social status or wealth. At forty, I had a family, I owned a house, I was CEO of a 150 people firm, but I was unable to balance and navigate my life. I was chasing goals I did not value. I felt destined to hard work, powerless against the forces and fears that controlled me - I was dependent.
Independence, as a state of being, should not be confused with the occupational status of being ‘self-employed’. One can own a successful business yet feel he is struggling through life, constantly on the alert, insecure and fearing the worst. One can be a payroll worker and have a serene sense of independence. My personal journey towards independence coincided with becoming self-employed. It was something I wanted to experience and had a major contribution to my personal growth. I am not advocating that self-employment is the path to independence. Every person has their unique journey.
The journey to independence is not a spontaneous process that evolves with age - it is the result of our awareness of independence, the choices we make and our commitment to becoming independent. Some people will mature to various levels of independence while others will remain heavily dependent throughout their lives, replacing dependency on their parents with dependency on a spouse, a dominant leader, their job or several other forms of attachment. Independent people have a vision and a purpose for their lives. They acquired a sense of security and trust that come what may, they will find a way and be ok.
Interdependence, per Covey, is a higher level of maturity. It is the synergy between independent people who choose to collaborate, acknowledging that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Interdependence is a form of bondage between free people, emphasizing ‘we’ instead of ’I’ without sacrificing ‘me’. It is applicable to marriage just as it is to business. An interdependent couple is joined by their love and trust. They have a common vision and purpose. A dependent couple stick together because they fear the outcome of separation. It is an unhealthy clinginess, where one or both persons don't have self-sufficiency or autonomy. In business interdependence is the collaboration between people who could do well on their own, but choose to partner in order to achieve their greatest success. In Covey’s words, “Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make”.
Covey’s elevation of interdependence and his observation that one must first achieve independence before he/she can become interdependent is extraordinary and unique to Covey. When I read Covey’s book in the early years of my awakening I thought of the maturity continuum as an interesting idea to aspire to. Years later, in the summer of 2017, I could see that my journey has taken me to independence and I was now ready to take the leap towards interdependence.
From time to time I thought about the prospects of founding my own IT/Project Management consultancy firm. For fifteen years I’ve worked in a consulting/professional services firm. I’ve gone from junior consultant to CEO - I had the skills, I knew the ropes. But the thought of owning and running a consultancy firm did not inspire me, it did not turn me on. If I were to stay in professional services, I would rather do it as a freelancer.
Fortunately, I live in Israel, ‘the startup nation’, and through my amazing journey I had the opportunity to provide management services to two exceptional startups; ‘Clarizen’ and ‘Green Smoke’. In both cases I worked with their executive leadership teams for prolonged periods, so I got an insiders feel of the startup vibe and culture, and I loved it.
Startups are an optimistic industry. It is a collection of resourceful and creative people who are on the constant lookout for possibilities and opportunities. It is about people who are going somewhere and willing to take risks to get there.It is about open mindedness, willing to accept change and being quick to adapt. It’s about people who collaborate to accomplish a dream, and if they are successful, everybody gets a share of the pie. It’s about being ‘young at heart’. It was where I wanted to be.
With the conviction of founding a startup I called Sebastien Adjiman. He has been in the high-tech industry for several years and knows everybody. We first met at Clarizen where Sebastien was the EVP of Europe sales and business development. We continued to collaborate on projects long after I moved on to other companies. I had high appreciation and respect for Sebastien as professional and as a human being. Sebastien is a master of relationships, an excellent listener with a genuine curiosity in other people. He sees people for what they are and sees the best in every person. That’s why Sebastien was the first person that came to mind when I thought of spreading the word to the startup industry.
What happened next was extraordinary. Sebastien said he was in a similar situation, considering leaving his current workplace to found a startup. We were two individuals whose personal journeys unfolded and matured at a perfect timing to form the interdependent relations I was looking for. A few days later we met to discuss the co-founding of our startup, “DeepCoding”. The call to Sebastien was the first and only call I made. It was so precise, it seemed effortless.
In Vedic science, the age-old philosophy of India, this is known as the “principle of economy of effort” or the “Law of least effort”. It is based on the fact that nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease. Everything is coordinated spontaneously in harmony and love. We are part of nature, and if we are in tune with its harmony it feels as if the universe starts sending us what we need to accomplish our purpose.
A few months later, on the eve of the 8th candle of Hanukkah 2017, we signed the contract with our primary Venture Capital Investors. DeepCoding left the harbor for a fascinating journey of interdependence.
To be continued....
No comments:
Post a Comment