For many years there have been some standout examples of consistently successful companies and people. This group of successful entities clearly work in a different way to others. Does this equate to a mentality of success? I would suggest it is more organic than that.
There are many variables that contribute to success and many more that enable sustainable success. In recent times many success matrices have been advocated – the majority of which have a narrow base and field of focus. Often targeting a set topic like driving sales, social media, or customer connection. Having explored the companies that stand out as consistently successful, I discovered such a narrow focus simply does not exist. What does exist across this group is a different psychological approach, that carries through into the operational activities of the organisations.
I started to see how the elements that were in play were all connected and endorsed and complemented the overall organisation. What surprised me most was that when the same elements were used in relation to successful people, they clearly exist in this group too.
The connectivity of these elements on a psychological level was unique and no business model I could find was using this approach. It was as though the elite had organically found a system that was more in tune with the way humans think and work on a forensic level. I searched for examples of this in other areas to find a point of reference. I was amazed that there was already a direct link to this concept.
It is the most successful organisational structure on the planet, a structure that works in complete harmony with the purpose and productivity of its community, a structure that supports and enhances the effective growth and success of its community. The structure is that of a hive, and the most successful businesses and people were all living and working with similar connectivity in all the elements of their operations.
It became clear that the mentality of success was, in the most successful examples, a psychological hive, and that it was completely aligned with business and people. ‘The Psychological Hive – Connectivity for Success’ was born.
I have to admit I was reluctant to approach the idea of a self-help book. As someone that, many years ago had studied and benefited from Stephen Covey’s, ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, and its timeless focus on key principles, away from the ‘pop psychology’ of the late 1980s. It is a book which I still believe to be the best in-depth work for a successful business mindset. If anything, I approached this topic as a means to introduce the forensic concepts that exist in the most successful companies and people, to provide a framework that would complement the work of others.
With many people experiencing a desire to engage with self-help and many publicly stating that they had tried many books and programmes with limited success, often stating that they hadn’t actually finished reading many self-help books. So, the idea of entering the fray was daunting, hence I chose to write, ‘The Psychological Hive’ as more of a conceptual guide; not dictating a ‘how-to’ approach but more a ‘think about this element’ and how you can apply it in your own setting.
The ultimate realisation that a single, systemic concept that could benefit business and individuals was possible, became a phenomenally exciting concept. Learning that the long-held view of a single dominance in business, (which created the ‘organisational pyramid’) and promoted as natural law was flawed, leading to the exploration of what is the natural law. In the vast majority of organisational groupings within the natural world, there is a dual dominance, rather than a single dominance. When this is applied in the business setting, the dynamics and communication levels organically improve.
The elements that a business require to maintain a sustainable and effective engagement with the world around them, also develops, as does the knowledge base on which the business grows and can therefore improve its responses to the world around it. But when this approach is matched on an individual level, the synergy and connectivity between businesses and their employees are enhanced. This approach is what, the most obvious representations of success have been doing, in some cases for generations.
Defining this approach and designing an illustration that represents the approach, is what became ‘The NCS Model’ (new concept solution). This is a fundamental element of ‘The Psychological Hive’ and brings all of the elements together. In a beehive, for example, this would be where the Queen Bee sits.
In the ever-evolving world that sees many great businesses fail The Psychological Hive offers an insight that gives an alternative approach that is not only aligned to the human psyche and the order of organisations in the natural world but also demonstrates how the most successful companies and people have been able to achieve success consistently and effectively respond to changes in the world around them. You can download your copy of The Psychological Hive here.
My colleagues and I are at the forefront of reshaping the way psychological awareness is used in the workplace, in the social care arena, and within the therapeutic community itself. We are actively promoting congruence and self-awareness, enhancing sustainable mental health and personal success – through the work of both Hive Group UK and Ayanay. These companies have used all the elements of The Psychological Hive, including the NCS model, to build effective teams and products that improve the long-term successes of those individuals and businesses that the companies engage with.
David Sleet is the co-founder of Ayanay. The Ayanay Elevated Learning Retreat provides you with Exceptional CPD with time to relax and get to know peers.
