Has it already been a month? On Dec. 1^st and 2^nd, 2016 Beyond Teal’s inaugural workshop -- What Happens When You Get What You Want: Teal in Your Third Act – was presented to a diverse crowd of attendees.

There was diversity in leadership titles — CEOs, entrepreneurs, managers, directors, presidents, and self-employed — and the types of organizations they represented — non-profit, high-tech, financial, creative, and entrepreneurial. Attendees’ ages spanned at least five decades and the accompanying differences in work-life philosophies and perspectives. 

If you attended one or both days of that workshop, it’s been a month of holiday bustle and now is the perfect time to revisit the discussions and link it to Teal.

If this program is of interest to you, check out our 2017 Winter FLP Program. 

If you did not attend … welcome! Become acquainted with the types of conversations that are happening within Beyond Teal and to challenge yourself on what these discussions can do for you.

The Overview

What Happens When You Get What You Want? Success and the Challenge of Choice.

Rick Eigenbrod, author of What Happens When You Get What You Want?

Eigenbrod has spent years interviewing individuals who have achieved of what we collectively consider high levels of success. These people are in financial want of nothing. They have life partners. Beautiful homes. Successful businesses. So why then, are these people feeling unsatisfied? And why on earth do you care about these whiners?

You care because these individuals have revealed that the objects you are working so hard to attain, the things these people have achieved, are an illusion. Are you spending your most precious resource, your life’s time, to achieve the same success attained by these individuals? Why? If these people are telling you that this will leave you feeling unsatisfied and unfilled, perhaps there is a better path to follow.

“Freedom is another word for ‘you can choose,’” says Eigenbrod. “It’s in the spaciousness of choice where possibilities lie.”

Q: When will you have enough?

A: When you say you do.

Q: What is the right choice?

A: The one you choose. 

Eigenbrod’s experiences lead him to suggest ways of framing your quest of having enough by understanding how you make your choices.

These range from:

• knowing (this isn’t the way my life is supposed to be) or authoring (this is the way it is).
• navigating to a destination or discovering the reason for your motivation.
• Following a plan or following your vitality.

The ability to reframe your perspective on your life path and ability to think independently made a perfect introduction to … 

Assessing the Developmental Stage – Where are you now? Where would you like to go?

Susanne Cook-Greuter, researcher and developer of the MAP Test, a globally-expected leadership maturity assessment tool.  

It’s common knowledge that children move through different stages of development. It’s only logical that adults have different developmental stages as well. After all, is there some magical age that you reach and you stop developing? Of course not.

But adult developmental stages are more complicated than that of children. These stages last different lengths for different individuals. Additionally, age has absolutely no bearing on the stage. Rather, it’s looking at levels of maturity and awareness of the world around you too. 

An individual’s stage of adult development is based on:

1. his or her reaction to circumstances when challenged.
2. how he or she manages difficulties, and
3. The capacity to take things as they come.

There are nine stages of adult development. These range in different stages through three different zones.

The Red Zone. About 5 – 10 percent of the population exists in the red zone. These individuals are impulsive, self-centric and unable to think beyond their own self.

The Green Zone. Majority of the population exists in different stages of the green zone. These are the stages of self-questioning and developing an extended awareness beyond the self. People in these stages are developing more flexibility and more internal resources. 

The Teal Zone. A very small percentage of the population exists in teal. These are the stages of self-actualization. These are individuals who are achieving their full potential through creativity, understanding, and independence.

In the process of understanding who you are, Cook-Greuter asks for participants to create a timeline of their lives. A number line is demarcated in equal intervals across an x-axis. The y-axis represents perceived positive and negative emotional impact with the x-axis signifying neutrality. Participants spend 10 minutes writing down significant moments of their lives. Then they share their life timeline with a partner. In essence, they begin to stitch together the angst, pain, joy, loneliness and fulfillment of their life’s experiences and who they are today.

Emerging with a refreshed memory of life’s important events, participants were treated to Dale Goldstein’s probing, emotional challenge … 

One Year Left to Live: What really matters – prioritizing the rest of your life.

Dale Goldstein, Spiritual Director & Teacher of the Heartwork Institute and author of Heartwork: How to Get What You Really, REALLY Want.

What do you want?

Go ahead. Think about it. Write it down.

What do you want that you don’t have?

Put your heart in your thoughts. Write it down.

What do you have that you don’t want?

These aren’t easy. Soldier on. Your thoughts matter.

What do you really want?

You will find that what you have … is what you want.

Through a beautiful path of guided meditation, probing questions and the deepest respect, Goldstein leads attendees through an interactive, mindful activity. Participants probed deeply into the moment, their hearts, and sense of wholeness as Goldstein asked:

What would you do if you had one year left to live?

Yes…write it down.

What would you do if you had 30 days left to live?

Do your answers change?

What would you do if you had one day left to live?

The exercise is feeling much more acute, isn’t it?

What would you do if you had one minute left to live?

Why haven’t you done it?

Bringing It All Together. The Third Act and Beyond Teal

Bruce Peters, Founder Beyond Teal

This final “presentation” does not take place in the workshop. It happens within the structure and strategy provided by the organization, Beyond Teal. It’s the ongoing conversation that happens within a person’s mind, between individuals, their employees, and across organizations. 

Teal is a developmental stage. Those individuals and organizations with a Teal mindset are asking what difference can I make? What is the best possible version of myself or my organization?          

The path to Teal is found in the pursuit of vitality. Where are you in your adult developmental stage and is Teal where you would like to go? And in the quest for Teal, are you prioritizing your life to live what really matters? 

Some final thoughts: Given the audience diversity, it’s remarkable how ready the audience was for a conversation centered around the idea of getting what you want. When surveyed, attendees were equally split on who was the best presenter and why. This phenomenon shows that all three pieces of the workshop were important for attendees who are in different places in their own lives and development. One size doesn’t fit all!

What was powerful and provocative to one person was considered fluffy to another. A challenging concept to some was perceived as an annoyance to others. But to all, each and every attendee found deep-rooted value that they could take to their everyday personal and professional life.

Here is the information on our 2017 Winter FLP Program. 

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From Attendees:

“Most conferences I attend, I get maybe 1 or 2 take home nuggets. I took three pages of notes at your conference, something I very rarely do, there was that much good stuff I didn't want to forget it. Rick's talk was very interesting, something I've never even heard presented, which is odd, in today's age, to be hit with something you have never even heard of. He opened up my eyes to see some very important things, especially along the lines of the illusions of your reaching your dreams.”

            -David Cox

“The timeline exercise was very thought-provoking.”

            -Nancy VanCamp 

“I found a treasured takeaway in each presenter. Loss of meaning, motivation, and fantasy of success are real consequences of success. Adults have development stages that vary and different levels of maturity. And ultimately, live everyday like it’s your last. The presenters made these sweeping concepts tangible and applicable to my professional and personal life. That’s valuable!”

            -Mary Coombs

“This workshop will help me reflect more often on what I’m working towards and why. I found the material both very interesting and useful. I left with three specifics actionable items specific to my personal and professional life.”

-Pete Kupinski