This article came from my private member blog:

www.creatinganamazonbestseller.com where I write daily about how I created this campaign. This article is based on a topic that I was considering as to how I would create rewards for people who applied effort in the CPR System.

For instance, I want to reward people for reading chapters in the book, for submitting designs and exercises in the book, so people are encouraged to earn a reward through doing developmental work. Since back in the early 90s I've often thought that if you could incentivize people to do the tough things, and that is development, then maybe we might find more ways to support civilization.

In some ways, I believe we have to translate rewards into things people are willing to do the things that might not be natural for them, i.e. growth and development into something more tangible than the satisfaction of developing, which is what the people who "naturally" love to develop get when they do the work. VERY few people are naturally motivated to learn outside of the direct benefit of the activity and the reward consequence. This is the flaw in blank slate thinking, that everybody wants to learn and if they don't it's some fault of the teacher, school, education, or environment. The CPR book accepts that each of us has different soulful gifts and therefore not all of us are motivated, or pre-wired if you like--the same.

By creating a design that rewards people for discovery, disclosure and acceptance of themselves and others, perhaps we can "by design" support greater personal efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability.

While I'm sure there are other 2nd Tier Design Tools available, I don't know of any at this time, because all change interventions are based on blank slate, that you can change and want to change, or can be taught or learn anything. I try to get people to understand that the first tenant of 2nd Tier Design is the acceptance that people have a right to be who they are  as Graves has been quoted as saying.

Here is Graves statement from his 1981 Summary Paper:

"Spawns facilitative management, management wherein the managed and the managing change according to the fit between problems and the competencies to deal with problems. In this system, management is based on the assumption that people have unequal competencies and capacities and unequal needs. Assumes the person will produce if one organizes so the competencies are expressed to fulfill the needs. Integrate them with organizational needs is its dictim.

In this system, the means to the end or organizational goals are restructured to fit the individual characteristics of the organizational member, rather than attempts to restructure the person to fit organizational needs. The manager's role is to rework the organization so that it's goals are achieved untilizing people as they are not as someone wish them to be or perceives they should be."

The Entire Summary can be read here: http://www.clarewgraves.com/articles_content/1981_handout/1981_summary.pdf

Clearly, Graves laid down the gauntlet for much of what has become blank slate. Figure out what's wrong and close the gap, training people to overcome their limitations.

In the CPR System, we seek information from our limitations, but reform through our strengths, reaching out to create designs in our own lives as well as the organization of life around us--to find fitness with others, but to remain focused on our gifts.

While it may seem strange to create a points system that allows people to trade their points for things they want as a basis for a design, I believe it does incentivize us to find an area where our strengths lie, which allow us to feel motivated and satisfied, yet to earn points for those issues which can be used for existential gain in areas where we may not have strengths.

Ideally, this describes Adam Smith's Market Hand that was written about in the Wealth of Nations, however when you overlay the market hand with blank slate thinking, you get people wanting to be what they see others can do, because after all--in blank slate--"anyone can be anything they want to be."

Presently, our society is has become inefficient, ineffective and unsustainable as we consume out of control in attempts to be reach the holy grail--to be anything we want to be. Clearly, a simpler, yet not so easy approach is to begin by recognizing that we are amazingly differentiatied as people, with differentiated wants, needs and motivations.

Instead of creating a homogeneous society of people striving to be like the exemplars who are placed in awe for everyone to mimic, we need to value the diversity in our differences and seek to breathe life into our souls. We can only do this if we first recognize that we all start with gifts. Second, to use those gifts in constructive ways without necessarily needing to be like the next person or relishing the life of those at some "idyllic pinnacle" will be difficult. Everything about western society wires into our spirits that we can do it if we try hard enough...and that's what we do, we keep trying instead of realizing we're already enough.

I'm not saying this will be easy to recondition 100s of years of thinking and feeling about how life really works. However, I do believe it's time to realize what's currently in vogue isn't working for many people. Those it works for, trumpet the virtues, all the while, we create an enslaved population who rides merrily along the road to unsustainability.

Very few trumpets, like CPR are around. However, it's clear to me at least, that we need different music.

Mike is the author of a number of books, founder of Leadership University and a coach and consultant to 1000s around the planet. Visit www.mikejay.com or purchase: www.cprforthesoul.com.

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