Open Leaders E-Book

Pedro Mello

• Herausgeber: Editora Voo
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 312

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

More than presenting a new management model, OPEN LEADERS reveals the methodology and stories of people who have embraced the OPEN mindset to completely change their business, their lives and those around them.

Leseprobe

OPEN LEADERS

Authors: Pedro Mello, Giovana Bratti, Mauro Peres and Daniel GuedesEditorial Coordination: Claudia Kubrusly, Joana Mello and Priscila SeixasTranslated by: Vitoria Nunes GaboardiEdition: ComunicaMag, Giovana Bratti, Pedro Mello and Claudia KubruslyProduction of cases: ComunicaMagRevision and digital production: Maurício CarneiroCover, graphic design and layout of the printed format: Conjunto 31

Editorial Prefix: 67886

eISBN number: 978-65-89686-08-8

Open Leaders

1. Leadership 2. Executive capacity 3. Motivation at work

4. Problems solution 5. Communication I. Bratti, Giovana

II. Peres, Mauro III. Guedes, Daniel IV. Alvino Filho, Manoel V. Title

Support type: Ebook

Ebook format: EPUB

All publication rights reserved to:

Editora Doyen Ltda. Rua Alagoas, 125 Belo Horizonte/MG Brasil - CEP 30.130-160www.editoravoo.com.br

Built in collaboration

OPEN is, first and foremost, about collaboration. To allow for such a transformative model to emerge, several people participated in its development, either by implementing it in their own firms, participating in mentorship councils, or sponsoring events and engaging in its diffusion.

Together, we have created a culture that can radically alter leaders’ mindsets and traditional business models that still follow the archaic management style that was built for the past century.

OPEN is more than a leadership and business model; it is a culture, a philosophy of life. We are all life enthusiasts, optimists, and idealists who believe in humanity’s underlying potential. New leaders have the power of leaving a more autonomous, collaborative, plentiful and, above all, humane world for future generations.

Adriana Auriemo Miglorancia Adriana Salles Gomes Altino Cristofoletti Junior Amauri Bathe Andrea Gomes Armenita Mendonça Arnaldo dos Santos Junior Artur Hipólito Beatriz Semenzato Carlos Alberto Julio Carlos Batros Charles Tokarski Daniella Guedes Dimitrius Nassyrios Eduardo Lima Eduardo Maciel Eliane Bernardino Elídio Biazini Elói D’Ávila Oliveira Elza Martin Fabio Khouri de Oliveira Fernando Antonio Ippolito Carbonell Flavio Cardoso Flávio Maia Flávio Mambreu Menezes Francisco Loschiavo Neto Gilberto Mendes Guilherme Plessmann Tiezzi Henrique Carbonell Jaqueline Garcia Jefferson Vendrametto Joshua Vial Kike Martins da Costa Kiko Hwang Leôncio Neto Lindolfo Leopoldo Martin Lindolfo Paiva Lívia Moura Luciana Mitre Lucy Onodera Luís Alexandre Chicani Luíz Felipe Ferreira da Costa Marcelle Miranda Marcelo Amorim Marcelo Micucci Marcelo Rodrigues Ulliana Marcio Ito Marcus Abdo Hadade Mário Kaphan Melitha Novoa Prado Pedro Melo Saraiva Filho Rafael Régis Somera Renato Auriemo Ricardo Camargo Ricardo Pantarotto Roberta Andrade Roberto Prates Rodolfo Credencio Romeu Busarello Sandra Chemin Sérgio Coelho Martins Sergio Quinsan Silvia Munhoz Sylvia de Moraes Barros Vilmar Sá Almeida Vinicius Ramos Vitor Abreu de França

OPEN’s many faces

GIOVANA BRATTI

I am an optimist and enthusiastic by nature. I believe that, with trust and commitment, anything is possible. My greatest inspiration is my great-grandparents’ life story. Luigi and Giovana emigrated from Italy to Brazil after buying a farm land in the state of Santa Catarina. Once they arrived, instead of fertile land, they found… stones. But, as the pioneer and entrepreneur that he was, Luigi took advantage of the opportunity and built the only set of Italian stone houses in Latin America. Today, they are national historic landmarks.

Entrepreneurship ran in my veins and I built my company from the ground up. I was one of the founders and shareholders of a financial group that specialized in investment funds and securitization, which was among the state of Paraná’s top five firms in the sector.

I am a lucky (and proud) mom to two incredible individuals: Vitória and Isabela. I was involved in the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) which gave me the opportunity to meet extraordinary leaders. I conquered what most people dream about: money, possessions, travel, status, famous friends, and a “happy” family. However, it was upon arriving where I wanted to be that I discovered the true meaning of living with a purpose — or, in my case, without one.

Luckily, life nudges us in the right direction. It just so happened that a person very near and dear to me, Mayu Brizuela de Avila, El Salvador’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, invited me to join the board of directors of one of the largest humanitarian NGOs in the world, Plan International. It opened my mind to new paths and drew extraordinary people into my life.

I fell in love when Pedro Mello introduced me to OPEN’s very first ideas! I immediately became engaged in the structure, organization, and expansion of this model, which took the shape of an organization of leaders serving an everchanging world.

Coffee, photography, exotic trips, diverse cultures, people, healthy living, outdoor sports, astrology, ayurvedic medicine, energy healing, languages, rock ‘n roll, and the list goes on—countless are the passions and experiences life provides me. From Hill to Gibran, from yoga to kabbala…I have always sought to understand the depth of the human soul and of myself. I have studied religion, psychology, mysticism, and diverse life philosophies. I am averse to restricted cliques and superficial relationships; I am much more fond of building true rapports with others.

I believe our purpose on Earth is to promote the evolution of both the individual and collective minds. That and the fact that OPEN changed my life’s trajectory is why I want to introduce it to the world—a world in which I believe: an exponentially collaborative world!

PEDRO MELLO

I have sampled a variety of adrenaline-inducing extreme sports: bungee jumping, paragliding, diving in shark tanks, adventure races, you name it. But my most important foundation was judo, which I practiced from ages 4 to 15. It taught me that, in a fight, everybody loses. After I turned 40, I got back up on my bike and even cycled the Camino de Santiago in 2013 with two of my friends for life, Marciliano and João Pedro.

On June 17, 2014 I became a dad to Bella, the girl who completely changed my life. She taught me the importance of the feminine and showed me the intrinsic role early childhood plays in shaping conscious individuals. When she was born, I was reborn. Bella gave me a second chance at experiencing everything again, but this time, in an incomparable way.

When it comes to interpersonal relationships, I am drawn to objective and sincere people; no filters nor judgements. I prefer being surrounded by positive people who can see the glass half full, even if full of air. I believe in a world where we will extinguish individuality and focus on collectivity.

In terms of my professional background, I have worked at several multinational corporations, such as Arthur Andersen, Borland, and Microsoft, before recognizing my aptitude as an entrepreneur. In 2002, the World Economic Forum recognized me as one of their Global Leaders for Tomorrow after I created the first incubator for digital startups in Brazil. In addition to entrepreneurship and startups, I have over twenty years of experience in franchising, from chain management to member and president of the Brazilian Franchising Association’s Ethics Committee. I was also a board member at Plan International.

Presently, I dedicate my time to Open Leaders, an Organization, whose mission is to disseminate concepts that are transforming companies, entire systems, and, among them, the Brazilian franchising.

I have published the books Startup Brasil and Guia de Sobrevivência do Empreendedor (in English, The Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide). I have also produced the series 7 Pecados Capitais do Franchising and Franquias de Alta Performance (7 Capital Sins of Franchising and High-Performance Franchises, respectively). For a few years, I was a columnist and blogger for the Exame a Brazilian magazine specialized in economics, business, politics, and technology.

I am an idealist fueled by tearing conventional systems apart, questioning the status quo, and provoking others to think outside the box and leave their comfort zones. While I may sometimes cross a line, my intentions are always good. Though I may cause discomfort, it always leads to action—and, hence, transformation.

My essence seeks to uncover the human being and his algorithm. When I was 30 years old, I started on this path by undergoing conventional therapies. I proceeded to study different concepts, from religion to metaphysical sciences, with the intention of understanding and freeing myself from the limiting beliefs that are inconspicuously bred in our minds over time.

This trajectory was the perfect preparation for the work I do today at Open Leaders.

MAURO PERES

My professional trajectory intertwines executive experiences with entrepreneurship. I have worked at several companies, such as Arthur Andersen, C&A, Microsoft, UOL, and IDC. In parallel, I have owned bars and restaurants, a consulting firm, and a nonprofit. In 2011, I founded MBA60, the first Brazilian firm ever invested on by the Harvard Angels, and, most recently, Reset and Disc2you.

My passion for entrepreneurship and management began early on. I had a strong theoretical background. I earned my bachelors from FGV in São Paulo, my MBA from Babson College, and I gained a ton (really, a ton!) of practical experience.

I love teaching and relaying knowledge. As president of multinational IDC in Brazil, I had the opportunity of holding thousands of presentations on the technology and telecommunications market all over the world. At Open Leaders, I can fulfill my personal purpose of teaching others how to be happier and more productive in a practical manner.

As a true Aries man, I love sports and have practiced a little bit of everything in the air, land, and sea. For years I have dedicated myself to seeking knowledge by studying philosophy, religion, psychology, and mystical subjects. I also love dancing and traveling—I can confidently say I have been almost all over the world.

The good thing in this (somewhat paranoid) life of mine, in having been an executive and entrepreneur at the same time, is that I was fortunate to collect tremendous experience when it comes to the functioning of small and large-sized enterprises. But, of course, this cost me countless hours of sleep, and a lot of hair.

MANOEL ALVINO FILHO

My friends call me Mano and I’m an entrepreneur passionate about dentistry and franchising. Striving to innovate and create a social impact, I founded OrtoEstética, a chain of dentistry clinics. After graduating in dentistry in 2003 from the University of Pernambuco (UPE), I specialized in orthodontics and, after that, in entrepreneurship at Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV).

The franchise market gave me an opportunity to expand my chain and simultaneously create value for my dentist colleagues, as I was able to share with them the entrepreneurial expertise I gained from building my chain.

In 2016, I came upon the first draft of what would become the OPEN group. I immediately decided to partake in building this movement that started by revolutionizing franchise chains and soon spilled into other markets.

I am married to Juliana with whom I have two wonderful children, Dante and Laís. I like running outdoors and enjoy beach days, boat expeditions, family trips and, above all, connecting with people. I was a member of the 374th Hoffman Quadrinity Process class, which, during seven days of retreat and meditation, helped me grow both emotionally and spiritually.

As one of Open Leaders Organization’s founders, I am proud to co-author the first book on OPEN while I watch OrtoEstética expand to nearly 100 practices throughout Brazil.

OPEN has been teaching me that I don’t have to be a hero. It shows me, in practice, that we choose the extension of the gap separating scarcity from abundance.

DANIEL GUEDES

I was born in Caicó, a small town in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. When I was a baby, my dad, who was frustrated with his military career, decided to move to São Paulo in search of prosperity and success, a dream many immigrants shared—in our case, migrants from the Brazilian Northeast.

I grew up watching my parents work hard as entrepreneurs in several ways in different cities. At times, they were successful, at others, not so much. But they never lacked in determination, honesty, and optimism. Throughout high school, I also played an important role in the family business by selling, making deliveries, and serving clients on weekends.

As an adult, I was compelled to have a business career and dreamt of presiding a large company. At the same time, I graduated, got my master’s degree in Europe, started my doctorate degree, and opened and closed several businesses, ranging from small inns to internet companies.

In my early 30s, I became the CEO of a big company and... well, it wasn’t exactly what I had imagined! I resigned and, along with my wife, Josiane, started my own company. We almost went bankrupt, but still managed to sell it, which is the dream of many entrepreneurs.

I was once more the CEO of a large firm when my entrepreneurial heart started beating again. I founded a startup called foodtech and now serve as the advisor of a large holding company.

I love going on runs on the streets of São Paulo! I’m a former sedentary who has run six half-marathons and counting. My next goal is to become a former fatty too, because I also love eating! (lol)

What does OPEN have to do with all this? I realized that all the decisions I ever made that resulted in change had two strong premises: preserving transparency in my relationships and sticking to my life’s purpose.

I came across the OPEN movement a few years ago and quickly got involved. Today, I am honored to participate as one of Open Leaders Organization’s co-founders!

Contents

PROLOGUE

1. OPEN: MOVEMENT, PHILOSOPHY, OR BUSINESS MODEL?

Challenging the unlikely Questioners and visionaries, a collective construction A new culture for a new world

2. THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX IS NOT ENOUGH — GET RID OF IT!

We repeat the same patterns Trained to be admirably mediocre For centuries, the same mindset The everlasting and tireless quest for (un)happiness

3. OPEN’S CULTURAL ORIGINS

From individuality to collectivity: trading scarcity for abundance Franchising as an experimental The birth of the OPEN mindset Truly collective work More secrets yield more power The attitude-behavior gap MTP and exponential organizations Focusing on value creation Unproductive and unhappy: one size DOES NOT fit all The point of no return BUURTZORG

4. THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF COLLECTIVITY

Human beings and competition Competition or collaboration? Fantastic ideas are born out of collectivity Networking, expressing the potential of collaboration Traditional structures, the roots of individualism Self-management: eliminating pyramid-like systems from organizations The power of collectivity and its impact on society ENSPIRAL

5. I WANT TO BE OPEN

Knock-knock: OPEN is at your door It all starts when a leader changes his mindset But how to adopt the OPEN leadership and culture? ROVAL

6. BUILDING A COLLECTIVE MIND

The true Collective Mind The first Mastermind by Napoleon Hill Napoleon Hill and his formula for success The power of the Collective Mind: what it is and what it is used for Without transparency there is no trust Collective Mind: choosing the right people Let’s Circle OPEN’s Methodology for the Collective Mind

7. THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE OPEN LEADER

Disconnecting from the hero’s journey Pandora’s box of leadership Leaders’ maturity levels define their organizations’ maturity levels Maturity directly impacts transformation Develop your own maturity ORTOESTÉTICA CHAIN

8. ENEMIES OF TRANSFORMATION

Prevention avoids remediation The natural antidote against enemies of transformation

9. HOW TO IMPLEMENT OPEN IN YOUR ORGANIZATION

Getting REAL RENOVEJÁ

10. THE PILLARS AND CONCEPTS OF OPEN ORGANIZATIONS

The three pillars Purposes and values A progressive transition toward OPEN Encouraging innovation and experimentation Adding value to society, for a better world

11. TRANSPARENCY

The first pilla Why aren’t we transparent? What are the benefits of transparency? The transparent leader Radically transparent companies Transparency promotes balance CASA X

12. COLLABORATION

The second pillar Leave heroes up to comic books Collaborating in the key activities for success Activities for those with the profile of best fit Collective construction of governance VAGAS.COM

13. VALUE CREATION

The third pillar Collectively defining the key activities for success Collectively defining internal services Monitoring value creation and indicators Easing the exit of those who are not aligned with the model YAKISOBA FACTORY

14. THE TRANSFORMATION GROUP

OPEN culture: more than just theories Second Phase of the Transformation Groups FLYTOUR

15. FRANCHISING: REINVENTION OR DISAPPEARANCE?

The traditional franchising system is under threat An arithmetic problem Perfect for Americans A systemic problem Different results require new paths Practicing collaboration on a new level Everything in your network can be standardized — except for your franchisees The intimate relationship between trust and transparency We hacked the first system FINANÇAS 360°

WHY I FELL IN LOVE WITH OPEN

WORKS CITED

ABOUT VOO

Prologue

A not-at-all OPEN mission

Writing the first pages of a book that deconstructs our current, limiting beliefs is a big challenge.

As you delve into the contents of this book, you will begin a new journey. You’ll be invited to cross the bridge separating the world we know, where individualism lies at the crux of all systems, from the OPEN world, where the power of collaboration is now taking its first steps.

Humanity is migrating into a dimension where collaboration lies at the core of new systems. As a result, limiting this prologue to a single author’s thoughts would be blasphemous, to say the least. It would equate to a long regression in our journey.

That’s why this is, most likely, the first book to ever be published without a traditional prologue — which is normally written by a notorious someone willing to lend the author some of his own credibility.

Instead, we would like to read several prefaces — perhaps tens or hundreds. These might be written by people like you, who, upon reading this book, also want to contribute with a word or two. This choice allows us to circumvent a single person’s limited vision and substitute it with countless perspectives on the same content.

If, after reading this book, you would also like to contribute with your own prologue, please send yours in! We would love to read it.

1

OPEN: MOVEMENT, PHILOSOPHY, OR BUSINESS MODEL?

Challenging the unlikely

Imagine a school where classrooms have no doors, walls, or computers monitoring its students’ whereabouts. A school where students are there because they want to, not because they are forced to. A school where freedom transcends the physical limitations of walls, where children get to choose what they study throughout the schoolyear and how long they spend on each subject. A school where, when questions arise, students first collaborate to try and answer them, helping each other in their activities.

In this school, misunderstandings, disciplinary issues, and fights are resolved not by teachers, but by students. There, a mediating committee consisting of a handful of elected students handles these issues. Parents are only called in when the committee is unable to settle more difficult cases. Yet, they do not come to meet with teachers or other disciplinarians but with the mediating committee, which consists of… children. That’s right: empowered children!

It is easy assume that this innovative school would exist only in wealthy neighborhoods of developed countries where only well-educated, high-income families can afford such schooling. That would be the most obvious conclusion, right? Wrong. This school is located in one of the largest favelas (slums) of South America where its 200,000 dwellers face all types of problems, from lack of basic sanitation to drug trafficking. Welcome to Campos Salles, a local public school in São Paulo that transformed an unlikely schooling model into an inspiration for the entire Brazilian educational system.

In the 1990s, the school’s superintendent, Braz Nogueira, felt inspired by a Portuguese school named Escola da Ponte and decided to revolutionize Campos Salles. In an interview, he stated that a mere couple of hours after accepting the role, he brought his hands to his head and asked himself, “What have I done all my life?” He had two insights. The first one was that “everything circles back to education, in one way or another, and, as a result, it should be one of society’s greatest concerns.” The second one was that “the school has to be a community’s leadership center”. As a result of these two insights, Braz began to close the gap between parents, students, and community moderators.

It all began with the tearing down of walls and removal of doors that divided each class grade. Tables were no longer for single-use only and students started organizing themselves in groups of four, with the freedom to carry out activities that were different from those of other groups. This setup allowed them to exercise autonomy. They could now try solving problems among themselves, seeking their educators’ help only when coming across obstacles they could not decipher on their own. The goal was to incentivize collaboration among students and shared management among educators.

At Campos Salles, students participate in crafting their course syllabi. They select the subjects they are interested in learning throughout the schoolyear, differently from the well-known model of lecture classes. They get to develop individual and collaborative learning skills in different subjects, such as Portuguese, Math, Geography, Science, History, etc. More than that, though, they learn to be proactive by focusing in areas in which they are most interested.

Today, hundreds of educators from all over the country visit this innovative school, in search of inspiration to transform their own schools, and perhaps even the national schooling system. Upon their arrival, they are instantly greeted by one of the pedagogic coordinators. Minutes later, they are introduced to a couple of students who gives them a tour that can last up to two hours. This serves as yet another example that it is possible to engage children through the delegation of responsibility, autonomy and, above all, collaboration!

Questioners and visionaries, a collective construction

After fifteen years of insertion in the Brazilian franchising market, not only did Pedro Mello gain valuable professional experience, but he also started getting considerably restless when it came to traditional business models. His knowledge coupled with visits to institutions like Campos Salles school allowed him to recognize many of the systemic problems associated with the traditional franchising model in Brazil. It is based on a formula created over half a century ago in the United States, a country of incomparable infrastructure and unmatched level of investment, behavioral profile, and purchasing power.

It wasn’t until he presented his ideas to a board colleague in Plan International, one of the world’s leading nonprofits in children’s rights, that his ideas started gaining traction. With a completely different expertise from Pedro Mello’s, Giovana Bratti saw the potential to build a new business model. In addition to offering the Brazilian franchising network new possibilities, as was originally envisioned, she realized that the model could serve various markets. It could be applied to for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, regardless of their size and format, spanning areas as diverse as retail, education, and government.

Giovana also anticipated that OPEN could positively change societal behavior, influencing people’s philosophy of life all around the world. And so, Giovana Bratti and Pedro Mello partnered with Mauro Peres, the latter’s associate at another company. Together, they developed the pillars that support the OPEN business model. Then, they worked simultaneously to perfect their hypotheses, testing different concepts and turning OPEN into reality.

It was at Plan International Brazil, where Pedro and Giovana respectively served as board president and vice-president, that the first practical experience of what became the OPEN methodology took place. Among other initiatives, they implemented a horizontal management system and encouraged collaboration between board members at the nonprofit.

In an effort to fine-tune their theories, the trio researched inspirational management models. They dove into a variety of institutional formats, from Buurtzorg — a Dutch home-care organization which has attracted international attention for its innovative use of independent nurse teams in delivering relatively low-cost care, to Enspiral — a virtual and physical network of companies and professionals brought together by a set of shared values and a passion for positive social impact, in New Zealand. They also explored Alcoholics Anonymous, an entity that globally opens its doors every day, like clockwork, and is managed by recovering alcoholics. The team was in a quest for unique cases such as Campos Salles’.

Holding collaboration at OPEN’s crux, they invited a group of experienced leaders of complementary profiles to meet monthly for eighteen months to assess the model’s validity.

Manoel Alvino Filho, a young entrepreneur from the Brazilian Northeast, was immediately drawn to OPEN. His dentistry franchise, OrtoEstética, was a pioneer in testing the new model. It was also the first to join the OPEN mentorship group. Its prototype for initial implementation consisted of a group with six to nine participants, that operated similarly to a board of advisors, where Manoel and his acts as its main assessor took monthly OPEN advisory from. advisor.

Flytour, a Brazilian tourism company that made over 1.3 billion dollars in revenue in 2018, also implemented the OPEN model. There, one of OPEN’s most powerful tools was born: Transformation Groups, built on the fly in an entirely collaborative process.

New visionaries, conscious leaders motivated by the OPEN’s infinite possibilities, were attracted to it after being exposed to it in countrywide events. Daniel Guedes, CEO of the SMZTO franchise holding, was determined to leave a mark in the world. So, the company became the first to convert to the OPEN business model. His enthusiasm and leadership style contributed to the immediate implementation of the model; he is one of the movement’s most passionate members.

From then on, OPEN was introduced to numerous networks and enterprises. Many of their cases are documented in this book. With each new group, the methodology become more robust. Organizations individually noticed progressively better results and increasingly engaged teams: We had created an algorithm, a new pattern of behavior that was capable of changing leadership styles in diverse markets.

We were suddenly aware that we had a single, clear-cut goal that had been born for mass transformation:

In order to accelerate this process of transformation, we decided to establish the Open Leaders Organization, a startup whose goal is to spread the OPEN culture around the world, as OPEN-ly as possible. And we are starting off with this book, which reveals everything we have learned up until now.

A new culture for a new world

Before OPEN came to be, the five of us were restless leaders imprisoned in our businesses and exhausted from carrying the weight of our problems on our own. We witnessed the world’s radical transformation with the advent of technology. Our businesses started suffering from increased competition and faced subsequent drops in profit margins. We found each other and started questioning why we do things the way we do. These reflections attracted other exhausted, hopeless leaders who found themselves in a similar quagmire searching for the light at the end of the tunnel.

For OPEN to flourish, we had to view the world through a new set of lenses. Big changes were now necessary in people’s mindsets and behavior patterns to allow for new formats based on collectivity to blossom. It was the beginning of the end of times of competition, control, and fear. And it is the start of the world’s transition into an era of cooperation and collaboration, as evidenced by the onset of the shared economy, a model favored by newer generations.

The more we developed these concepts, the more we realized how such awakening to a new level of consciousness could radically alter human history. Therefore, this book doesn’t only outline a business model you can implement in your workplace. We wrote it specifically to provoke your thoughts on alternative forms of leadership, applicable not only in the workplace, but also in your personal life.

It doesn’t matter if you are or would like to be a leader. Nor if you are an ambitious entrepreneur, an inspiring boss, a determined executive, an innovative CEO, a politician searching for new approaches, a manager in search of better results for his team, or someone who seeks new visions and trails.

This book will serve as an inspiration to you regardless of who you are. It is an invitation for you to experience this new leadership mindset — a way of thinking and acting — and join us in this epic moment we are living. Together, we can transform the world — one that, in a short period of time, completely altered the lives of those who adopted OPEN; one that transformed regular leaders into OPEN Leaders!

2

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX IS NOT ENOUGH — GET RID OF IT!

We repeat the same patterns

Like most of the adults in your life, you and I were born at a time when life was rather sluggish and predictable. As if programmed by an algorithm, we led such perfectly synchronized lives that most of our futures could be traced without the slightest help of a fortune teller and his crystal ball. Even the most innovative of us were stuck repeating patterns of which we were barely aware, simply because we blindly followed societal norms.

Most of us had parents who were born, went to school, took classes similar to their peers’, started dating, suffered from broken hearts. Some of them were lucky enough to go to college, find jobs, have serious relationships, get married. They worked hard, bought a house, had children. Then, they put their children in schools where they, too, took classes similar to their peers’, started dating, went to college…

That is how they, like most of us, adopted a linear life. A lifestyle led by predictable thoughts, actions, and motivations that were frequently unconscious and even irrational.

The following well-known story illustrates this self-fulfilling prophecy and shows how we attribute values and myths to nonexistent things through mechanical repetitions. A young girl once watched as her mother prepared fish for dinner. The girl became intrigued when she noticed her mother cutting off its head and tail. She asked why. Her mother told her that was how her mother had taught her — it tasted better that way. Unconvinced, the girl decided to speak to her grandmother, who reproduced the same answer. She then spoke to her great-grandmother who said, “I’m not sure as to your mother’s and grandmother’s motives, but I do it because my pan is really small.”

Although this may startle you at first sight, the truth is, if you really want to learn more about OPEN and discover how to become an OPEN Leader, then you must first open your eyes to the thought patterns that direct even your most irrational actions.

Trained to be admirably mediocre

Your 8-year-old son comes home with the bulletin in the hands. In it, there is a grade of 8 in history and a grade of 2 in math. Which note draws your most attention? If it was the lowest grade, it happened to you what normally happens with most from parents. As we said, we are all predictable. Certainly you, as well as the vast majority of parents, would be a little worried and try to help your child to improve what is apparently, say, a weakness of him. We believe that if we do that way, he can fit the standards students, pass school, enter college, complete the course, so that you have a better chance of get a good job, succeed and be happy.

In a scheme where we highlight our weaknesses, such as a failing grade in Math, we waste time, money, and a lot of energy to get an average test score, despite the most arduous of efforts.

On the other hand, if we shift gears and focus on our talents, such as a high grade in History class, we could easily raise our grades from a B to an A+. We could uncover a great historian, a future archeologist, or even a modern Indiana Jones!

By motivating your child to value his abilities, you can elevate his self-esteem. He will then be better equipped to deal with a low score in Math, raising it to a passing grade that is enough for him to get by while exceling in History.

Few of us are able to recognize how a small shift in mindset can radically alter our children’s futures — and our own. Even more rare are individuals who are brave enough to forcefully push against the current and focus on talents, transforming not only their children’s lives, but also their own. They may even cause a ripple effect on those surrounding them.

Picture the impact such emphasis on limitations will have on your child’s behavior after eighteen years of being confined in classrooms. The educational system demands that he becomes a mediocre student in all of his classes through his own merit. To say the least, he might very well complete his education believing he will be punished every time he makes a mistake, much like when he flunks the schoolyear for failing a single, yes, a single class. And, if this happens, he might feel like a failure, someone inferior to his peers.

Besides developing a limiting, punitive mindset, by the time your child graduates from high school he will have sat through 15 to 18,000 hours of class. Some of these may be fascinating to him, several may be challenging, and others, utterly pointless.

Your child will have wasted a lot of his developmental years memorizing content that will be of no use to him in the future. A good portion of his time could be better employed were he allowed to get to know himself better and identify his talents, areas in which he truly shines. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If he is lucky, some of the hours he spends in Philosophy classes may give him some perspective on the world in which he lives, but that’s about it.

By the time your son is done with college, he will have spent much of his life learning things he will automatically forget with every New Year. He will most likely find it hard to write coherent essays, do basic mental math, and, above all, understand who he is and where to go to best employ his talents.

If, like us, your child goes to a standard school, he will be trained since nursery to be mediocre at what he does. He will learn to fear exposing his weaknesses and dread failing in activities in which he underperforms his peers. To make matters worse, when he goes out to the world on his own, away from his parents, he will be forced to construct his own user manual through trial and error.

It is hard to stop being mediocre; after all, that is what we are taught to be since preschool. We end up as irrational as someone who insists on training a seal to fetch coconuts from a coconut tree, oblivious to the fact that sea animals can’t climb trees. In the animal kingdom, those who can got coconuts from coconuts trees are monkeys. Seals, if trained to do different things they do in nature, can, for instance, make acrobatics at SeaWorld in return for fish rewards. But they will never climb coconut trees!

For centuries, the same mindset

Now, given that this pervasive mindset has been in place for so many years, how do you think companies, organizations, schools, families, and philanthropies are led today?

Does the spotlight shine on a team’s talents or limitations? Are mistakes seen as opportunities for growth or justifications for punishment? Is there a safe space where you can expose your weaknesses or is it necessary to constantly focus on your greatest achievements? Is your work environment one of fear and repression or one of inspiration and freedom of expression? Would you be hired because of your technical or your soft skills?

This is only a sample of how predictable and irrational human behavior can be. From a very young age, our mindsets are molded to fit an outdated system on the brink of collapse, one whose relevance deteriorates as artificial intelligence evolves. One that will witness a massive substitution away from human beings, even in traditional professions such as medicine and law — which were once considered immune to such technology.

What does all of this have to do with OPEN’s origins? OPEN emerged when we did away with our “box”, creating a space for these questions to flourish. From then on, a true avalanche of new possibilities materialized before us. We started reflecting on our own mindsets, our mechanical behaviors, and realized that we had been reproducing patterns that had been unchallengedly replicated for centuries. We are incredible beings, gifted with extraordinary capabilities and free will. So, why not take the reins of our lives and stop this repetition of unconscious patterns once and for all?

The everlasting and tireless quest for (un)happiness

Imagine you sign up for a training course Kabbalah. In the first class, the teacher asks students to write down on a sheet of paper the ten things that human beings need to be happy and to feel complete. After some minutes, the students finish the exercise and the teacher tries to guess what they wrote.

“Raise your hand if you picked ‘health’?”, the rabbi asked his class. A good part of the audience raises its hands. “What about ‘lasting friendships’? ‘United family’?’” Nearly everyone raises both their arms. “‘Professional achievement’? ‘Financial security’?” Most of the audience flings up its arms. And he went on, enumerating different things that are usually linked with a full and happy life.