How and whom do you serve?
I've never felt comfortable wearing a title.
No matter the title, it either feels fraudulent, confining, or diminishing. It never quite captures the whole of who I am, what's important to me to express creatively, or the way my strengths and passions come together to fulfill my raison d'être.
I am so much more than a title (as are you), and what does a title convey anyway?
Organizational titles are not about context or purpose. They're about navigational shorthand that describes or implies skillsets, duties, and who holds what kind of power — power over resources, power over the organization's direction, and power over people. The higher one is on an organization chart, the more political savvy because, let's face it, getting to the top requires a certain degree of placating and pandering.
At some point titles actually become meaningless. When sole proprietors of single-person organizations call themselves a "CEO," the term CEO loses its meaning and gravitas. CEO energy, on the other hand, is a whole different construct and a powerful one for each individual to embrace at every level of an organization, large or small.
CEO energy isn't about a place on an organization chart — it's about a mindset of individual ownership and accountability. It's about the vision, purpose, values, and strategy that uniquely energize and guide you — your power skills, your passion, your available energy — in the direction of your highest expression and impact in the domain that matters to you.
Instead of titles (or at least in addition to), I advocate for the mainstream use of individual "serve" statements. (I purposely am not using the word "service" because it immediately triggers the cost-center framework — the word "serve" carries a much heavier frequency that conveys the intended value that one creates.)
A "serve" statement is so much more informational and meaningful because it allows us to understand the range of situations in which the other creates value. It tells me where your appetite is for expansion. It also helps me understand where you might be "allergic" or "limited" because the natural passion just isn't there and your natural energy and enthusiasm are better expressed elsewhere.
When we try to be what we're not, shoehorning ourselves into a role because it's the next rung on the ladder or because of what it means to others, instead of changing the role to match the expression of our unique talents, we waste vital energy that would otherwise be used to create. When we honor our "serve," it's much easier to see the people and situations that are a match for us — or are a misfit — and make aligned decisions that allow us to bring our best and highest self to the table. Always.
Let me give you an example.
A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to do a half-day workshop for aspiring Board members, helping them use the power of narrative to position themselves for these opportunities. At first it sounded perfect and I was super excited. My work in corporate narratives does this at the collective level, so it seemed like a minor variation on that theme. In addition, it would have meant priceless exposure to potential clients for my narrative work.
But while speaking in more depth with the team that brought me this opportunity, it quickly became clear to me that I wasn't the right fit for them. Because who and how I serve was not a match.
Yes, I could have helped each aspiring Board member effectively position themselves for the role through narrative, but the only way I could do it authentically is to first challenge their assumption that serving on a Board was correct for them — that it's actually what they wanted and that it aligned with the highest expression of their True Self. That it wasn't just the "next rung on the ladder" or what they felt they "should" pursue. And I would have used the tools of Human Design to help them verify their path, their purpose, and what was "true" for them about this situation and moment.
That level of inquiry was not on the agenda for this event (which was the first in a series of Board readiness workshops). The premise that becoming a Board member was the correct next step for participants was already baked in, and this was not an opportunity to challenge it. Because of this, I knew I couldn't serve this opportunity in a way that would meet their objective while not compromising my own "serve":
I am all about empowering the Individual. I see logic and patterns and bring insights and creativity to the art of transformation for myself and others, awakening each to live in alignment with their highest principles and convictions, while not sacrificing their ambition.
It was such a relief toward the close of the meeting to state with self-assured clarity — and without an ounce of regret — that I was not a fit for this opportunity.
As much as it would have brought valuable exposure to me for my narrative work and my work in Human Design, I would have had to become someone different to deliver what was needed, and that would not have allowed me to show up in my highest expression. In fact, it would have made all that exposure meaningless and dissonant, presenting a version of me that was incomplete.
The thing about a "serve" statement is that it places the focus not on our skills or power base, but on our creative intention. Our skills are called on through our how and our how changes, depending on the invitation, opportunity, or situation. Some situations call on my strategy and pattern recognition, some call on my writing and formulization of frameworks, some call on my voice and presence, some call on my intuition and mystical "knowing," some call on several at once, and there is no organizational title for that range of function, and that range must be expressed.
Your Human Design holds all the high-frequency keynotes (see the words in bold in my "serve" statement above) to create your own unique "serve" statement. I highly recommend it as an exercise for getting really clear about how the entirety of you operates — exquisitely and in harmony — to realize a particular end. Your "serve" statement will bring clarity and calm to every decision, action, and interaction, transforming your day-to-day into more joy-filled, high-impact, energizing and aligned experiences that deliver meaningful results.
The aliveness of an organization where everyone is operating through their individual "serve" statements is palpable, contagious, and unstoppable. This is the real power, promise, and ROI of Human Design when it's applied on a team level or company level. I long for the day that more leaders recognize the untapped life force and potential that lies dormant in their organizations and call on experienced Human Design professionals to reveal it and release it.
I know because I've experienced it first-hand. This is how we operate in our partnership and how we work with our collaborators, and it's delivering a richness in our relationships and results that is deeply satisfying and unmatched.
Note: Every Human Design chart is more than the sum of its parts, and every element of a chart affects — and is affected by — every other element. Human Design is a deeply layered, complex system that integrates eastern and western traditions and wisdom. When I share discrete elements of a chart, I am simply sharing glimpses into the mechanics of Human Design (and the Gene Keys) to show others how they, too, can discern practical insights from their own charts into their uniqueness and the patterns of thought, behavior, conditioning, emotions, and psychology that keep them from achieving their highest potential or living their best life.
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