About…
For those who are interested I’d like to share a piece of my history.
For the most of my life I have had the underlying feeling that so many people are spending time and energy on the wrong things and then I realized this was becoming very true in my own life as well…
I’ve been working in IT consultancy for more than 10 years now. My specialties are (facilitating) requirements gathering and analysis of complex business situations and the design of software solutions. I’ve always enjoyed my work, but as time progressed, the purpose of my work became more important every day. Why spend so much time on improving for example the efficiency of trivial or sometimes even destructive processes? Why not work on the real and ever more pressing issues that our world faces today? Not only are these issues more important, the challenge is i.m.h.o. so much more rewarding because then we are experimenting and learning on a never seen before level and scale.
In 2006, I was introduced to the Cradle to Cradle philosophy by Michael Braungart en William McDonough. Since that moment I am fascinated by their success in communicating a completely different paradigm to a large portion of our society. The sustainability movement has been locked in an old paradigm of trying to become ‘less bad’. Not only can we integrate the previously conceived opposites of the triple bottom line, Braungart and McDonough say, we also can also transcend our thinking and see the possibility where mankind is leaving a beneficial footprint on our earth! In their view, it is a design challenge. As long as all important requirements of all important stakeholders are gathered, known and respected and then start the creative process of finding solutions, we could do anything! From my experience as requirements engineer and business information analyst, I truly recognize the value of this design thinking.
Another major influence came across my path by the end of 2007 when I was introduced to Integral philosophy by Ken Wilber and the Integral Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck. It was so refreshing to read these (and other ‘integral’) books and to study the complete content of the Integral Naked website. There was so much recognition and sudden understanding. The 20 tenets of holons, the AQAL model, the spiral model, tetra enactment, theory U… wow! I felt like an explorer who suddenly gets the map of the unfamiliar territory where he has been wondering around for years. Yesterday’s solutions are creating (and keep on feeding) tomorrow’s problems So, our world is continuously evolving to ever increasing levels of complexity, and one has the choice to be part of the group who is experimenting and finding new solutions and new ways of coping with the unique and new problems of our time. Fascinating!
Like Stephen Covey in his book ‘The 8th Habit’ says, if you can find a job or transform your present job so that it includes four things — you will find your inner voice (or purpose): 1) your talent (what you are good at, really good at, 2) need, what the world needs enough to pay you for, 3) your passion (that which truly excites you, and 4) your conscience directs you to become involved in it (meaning, contribution, with integrity). Personally, I have the feeling I’m getting very close. Dealing with increasing complexity, finding new ways to organize and do work, collaborate for radical and sustainable innovation, informing and inspiring each other, it all needs to be facilitated and supported by using social technologies and information technology. That’s where my purpose is!
