Potential Arena is officially launched.
For years, I've been dancing with this idea that work is one of the most powerful platforms we have to discover who we are created to be and do the most good we can for others. When I left my decade-long role as CEO of the Colorado Thought Leaders Forum at the start of 2022, I knew it was time to solve new problems and embrace new possibilities. My sea-change began with a fruitful season of rapid learning as I readied myself for something new.
It's interesting that we usually can't see how the parts of our lives fit together until we have a chance to pause and take inventory. This opportunity presented itself as I explored potential roles and had to articulate what I know, what I'm great at, and why it matters. For me, the process was very humbling as I gratefully noted the experience, skills, and relationships I have developed over the years. You're receiving this email, because you are a relationship that has mattered.
Here's what I discovered...my career over the last 20 years has led to deep competencies in three areas, and they are essential if we want to unleash potential in people and teams. They are building community, growing as leaders, and becoming aligned in doing excellent work. Without relationships and trust in a team, we can never realize our true potential. Unless we expand our capacity to lead ourselves and others, we'll never be able to work through human tensions and challenges to stay a team. When we're not aligned with others, our potential is limited to what we alone can do.
There is no doubt in my mind that we are far more with others than alone, and I think it's time to reverse the terrible statistics we keep hearing about.
Only 23% are engaged at work.
59% are quiet quitting.
51% are open to or actively looking for a new job.
I could go on and on, but we get it. We see it every day. Here's the thing... For decades, if not generations, we've been trying to solve these problems through a hierarchical approach that seeks to design better organizations and develop better leaders. All fine and good, except the numbers don't lie. This approach isn't working like it used to, because the world we live in is far more complex than ever before:
We delegate tasks, when people need agency.
We hold people accountable, when they need to understand what to do and why it matters.
We write up detailed job descriptions, when people desperately want to know how to bring their uniqueness to their work in a way that makes them come alive.
Shifting our approach increases potential, not just for people but for organizations!
I don't know about you, but I want to realize my potential in the world. I want to know the thrill of success and accomplishment and experience refreshing collaborative adventures that recapture the magic of great teaming. I want this for you, and I want every one of your team members to have the knowledge and agency they need to make this happen for themselves, whatever their title or role. There's no reason to settle for good enough, when most of us will literally spend 90,000 hours of our lives at work!
I'm so excited to launch a new company, Potential Arena, that leverages everything I have learned, informed by countless leaders and organizations, and tested with local and global audiences alike. The model is simple:
Currently, I'm starting with just 2-3 companies, delivering the model and facilitating a team transformation to create two outcomes, and I welcome any introductions you may have:
Higher engagement across the entire team, meaning people find their work meaningful, feel connected to a team, feel proud of the work they do, and take ownership of their performance.
No more quiet quitting, meaning people know what to do and why it matters in their work.
You may be thinking, "Yes, this is great. Teams are important, but how is this different?" Great question! Most of the time, we try to increase engagement and solve employee issues by focusing on designing a better organization or developing better leaders and managers. There's still a place for these approaches, but Potential Arena is focusing on giving team members the knowledge and agency they need to resolve their own work and team challenges with one another. Here's the goal:
Potential Arena is catalyzing a new era of work where:
People know what to do and why it matters.
People know how to do their very best work by understanding their uniqueness.
People know how to become a team and work through human tensions and challenges together.
People know how to become aligned with one another and their organization.
People have the agency they need to do outstanding work.
People know how to create the conditions they need to thrive as a team.
I think it's a worthy goal to help people unleash their own potential in virtual teams, so that they don't feel dependent on great leaders or companies to do this for them, and I look forward to all the collaboration along the way!
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