The Adventure of a Lifetime

• Seek to realize your own distinctive capabilities.
• Discover and accept your limitations.
• Try to make an ever-greater contribution to your employer’s business.

Remember: It takes as long as it takes.

• Career progress is a form of natural inner maturation: so it cannot be rushed or forced.
• You will move through stages until reaching a stopping point that feels right for you.
• Identity development is always discontinuous; and discontinuity feels risky and confusing or unpleasant.
• THEE maps the discontinuous stages in this natural process.
  

Remember: It’s your life, and nothing is ever mechanical or wholly predictable in an adventure.

The maturational sequence proceeds: 

«Apply Stage principles—consequences—frustration—antidote principles of next Stage—consequences—new frustration—next antidote principles of next Stage—etc»

This generates a common-sense Spiral order for the journey.

If you understand the logic of the Spiral sequence, you can:

• Further your career with greater confidence.
• Avoid a variety of common pitfalls.
• Recognize future demands on you.
• Know when to stop.
• See what others are doing and why.

See the map now: 

The process is explained simply in the webpages to follow. However, an advance summary and a larger, more detailed diagram is provided here.

The process requires you to adopt and apply principles from all the approaches to interacting-for-benefit in a specific sequence. The approaches will be redefined for you in socially acceptable ways as «modes for engaging constructively in the workplace».

• Progress is often thought of as «more responsibility, salary and status» within a particular stage—and that is a reasonable view.
• However, far more significant progress occurs via discontinuous moves from one Stage to the next in the Spiral.
• Such moves will be driven by:
  • Your personal ambition
  • Your inner readiness for personal growth
  • Your readiness to adopt new mind-sets for new challenges
  • Competitive and other external pressures on you.
• How far you progress usually depends far more on your inherent capability, sense of freedom and personal drive, than on external circumstances.
• There are many settling points from which progress in the form of salary and status can continue.

Remember: There is no rule that says you should or must develop any further than you wish. It's your life and your choice.

• All Modes, starting from the moment you commence, have inherent temptations and dangers.
• Do not be lulled into a false sense of security at any Stage.
• Sensible handling of tricky situations is usually possible.
• Transition to the next Mode, even if challenging, is often the most effective antidote for feelings of frustration or a sense that you are not fitting in properly at work.

Remember: Indiana Jones always gets home safely, but you may not.

• Growth of awareness and interpersonal skills are cumulative. Nothing learned in any Stage should be subsequently neglected.
• Earlier values are usually modified somewhat by new awareness and experiences.
• If you work in a business, market-centred principles underpin your career every step of the way. You will start there, and return to these principles twice more in this framework, each time with your character strengthened and your career markedly advanced.
• If you are not primarily market-centred, there is still a lot here for you. Options in relation to other mentalities are explored wherever relevant.

Remember: Forgive but don’t forget! No danger should ever be forgotten. Be aware at all times. Avoid complacency and arrogance based on success.