Caterpillars & Congruence: A Framework For Fulfillment

I stole something recently…but I’ll get to that in a moment…first, let me ask you:

Have you ever heard something or been asked a question so fascinating, so compelling that you had no other option but to indulge your curiosity? You had to drop everything you were doing and become temporarily obsessed about this perplexing idea.

That’s what happened to me a week ago after a friend posed this question:

What do caterpillars think when they’re wrapped up in their cocoons?

This might sound like a silly question because can caterpillars even think? (None of the articles I read answered this…so I’m guessing no). But the question is still worth exploring…although the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is overused as a metaphor, the lessons we can take from the process remain significant.

Because if caterpillars could think, would they know for certain that they will become butterflies?

…OR is the work of building a cocoon from silk, digesting its own body, and reorganizing its body parts a huge gamble…a long shot?

The parallel is this: does the work we are doing now to grow and develop as friends, as team members, as leaders, as children of God, have a certain outcome?

…OR is it a huge gamble…a long shot?

Hint: it’s the second option. As I’ve said before, it’s a big bet. But it’s a bet that’s worth the high stakes, especially since there’s a way to increase our odds.

There’s a way to make things seem not as risky and improve our chances of making that transformation from caterpillar to butterfly.

The Congruence Hypothesis

At the beginning of the semester in my Behavior Theory & Management class in the business school they introduced this model for observing and understanding organizations. It’s called the congruence model and it looks like this:

The hypothesis that corresponds to this model says that “organizations are more effective when all the components of the organizational architecture — operations, talent, formal organization, and informal organization — fit with each other and with the organization’s strategy.”

The congruence model is useful for organizations, but I think it can also apply to us as individuals so I stole it. Sorry, Ross School of Business (but not sorry).

My version of it is called: “The Personal Congruence Model”, and it’s a framework to understand ourselves and our transformation from caterpillar to butterfly.

It follows the same structure as the organizational version, but each component represents something inherent to us.

The Environment includes our friends, family, mentors, affiliating groups and institutions, physical space, and anything else external that might affect us or our strategy.

Our Personal Strategy is equivalent to the daily lifestyle we maintain, and this is heavily influenced by our personal mission, vision, purpose, Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs), etc. and is supported by the personal architecture.

The person architecture is comprised of the operations, talent, and formal and informal organization.

• The Formal Organization is made up of our commitments like work, school, marriage, etc.
• The Informal Organization is how we spend our spare time (activities & hobbies).
• Operations are our actions and habits.
• Talent is our skills and strengths.

Finally, the results are measured in terms of moments of joy, how we made people feel, how we glorified God, legacy, etc.

So, it looks like this:

…and the hypothesis becomes:

Individuals are more satisfied when all the components of their personal architecture — their commitments, leisure time, habits, and strengths — fit with each other and with the individual’s lifestyle.

In other words, our lives are more fulfilling when we align the various elements.

Remember: this personal congruence model is a framework — not an answer — for a fulfilling life. You have to fill in the blanks.

Then, how can we make sure everything aligns?

THAT…is a compelling question…and one you should drop everything to become obsessed with.

Originally published at www.awesomeinitiative.org on October 6, 2015.

Join the Awesome Initiative’s exclusive mailing list!