Week 1, 2020
The Source Principle: Provenance, Collaboration, and Succession
Each week I share three ideas for how to make work better. This week, that means sharing three key considerations courtesy of Peter Koenig’s Source Principle.
Why am I writing about this? I came across Koenig's work a few weeks ago while doing research into transformation and change. And his “Source Principle” has stuck with me ever since. Here’s why:
1. Provenance
The Source Principle states that all initiatives — be it a project or organization — can be traced back to a single source; a person who originated the idea and took the first risk to see it realized. And this is true even if there are multiple co-founders! There’s always just one source; one person whose relationship with the originating idea enables him or her to visualize what’s possible and intuit the next step.
2. Collaboration
The bigger the initiative, the more likely it is that the Source needs help realizing the vision. Collaborators become agents of the Source, helping him or her carry out and execute their vision. And in such situations, it’s important that the collaborators’ own vision aligns with that of the Source. Because without this alignment, there is little hope the endeavor will garner much momentum.
3. Succession
Alignment is important. And surprisingly, so is the acknowledgment of who the Source is and the role that he or she plays. In fact, Koenig suggests that lack of acknowledgment is a common source of tension within organizations. This is especially evident in the case of succession when the proverbial baton is handed from one person to the next. There can be absolutely no doubt as to who the Source is at any point in time.
Koenig’s work has lots of interesting ramifications. And the one that stands out to me is the importance of purpose and alignment when hiring.
We tend to hire people for hard skills. And sometimes a combination of hard and soft skills. But we don’t often take into account the candidate’s personal vision and purpose in relation to our own. But we should. Because as Koenig rightly points out, we won’t get very far unless we bring aboard likeminded people who are motivated by the same vision that we are.
That’s all for this week. But there’s lots more to learn from Koenig and his collaborators. And the best place to start is www.workwithsource.com.
Until next time, stay calm.
