The Dynamic Intelligence Development System

SEAN: I had been coaching for around 3 years when I was first introduced to the theoretical foundations of what was to become the Dynamic Intelligence Development System™. Latterly, I referred to those years as the wilderness years, a period of uncertainty: how could I help my client? How would I know what questions to ask them? How would I know that I was moving them in the ‘right’ direction? I’d already begun to realise that clients didn’t know what they wanted, even when they appeared certain. Dig a little below the surface and you find that stated goals often hide some hidden, unspoken, perhaps embarrassing, desire.

Dig a little further and you find that even these desires are often transitory. I coached many of my early clients out of coaching! Ethical perhaps, but certainly not profitable! Then, in 2020, Dr Stevens sent me his doctoral thesis. Now I understood. Goals were constructions, like all other thoughts. Change the construction, change the goal. Suddenly, goals weren’t the object, growth was. Growth in the sense of Vertical Development. Growth in our ability to construct our thinking in the moment, to have Choice in our Responses to our environment from a position of Intention and Awareness. In short, growth in our Dynamic Intelligence. The Dynamic Intelligence Development System™ is all about that growth, growth that’s never been so important as at this stage in the evolution of mankind.

Whether you are house-husband or the CEO of a multi-national, our worlds are becoming ever more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous with distant disputes disrupting supply chains creating scarcity and price inflation, with technological advances rendering obsolete what was only recently cutting edge, with environmental change changing seasonal weather, and post-modernity rendering all truth subjective and perspectival. What was once stable, certain, simple and clear simply isn’t. Thus our ability to handle this ‘isn’t-ness’ is key to survival. Those who cling to and clamber for simplicity, security and control are sorely disappointed and increasingly disaffected.

We see this in business where long-standing stalwarts fail to adjust and evolve, fail to sense the change in their industries and sectors, and simply fail; in our professional lives when, despite our efforts and positive feedback promised promotions turn into redundancy; and in our personal lives when, despite our efforts at a healthy lifestyle, random health issues incapacitate us - or worse! Increased thinking complexity, enhanced Dynamic Intelligence, make our models of the world closer to reality. Maybe only a little, but that little can give us the competitive edge, more resilience, greater ability to adapt, reduced stress and, potentially, all other things being equal, longer, or at least healthier, lives. For the organisation, this means greater agility, sustainability, and profitability and/or impact. For the leader, this means greater courage, influence, and legacy. For the professional, greater success and job satisfaction. And for the individual, a more balanced, meaningful, and joyful life, feeling good about themselves and their place in the world.

In the following pages we introduce Dynamic Intelligence Development System™ from its theoretical foundations to its practical applications so you can get a glimpse of how and why it works, the results it can achieve, and how you might be able to introduce some of its concepts into your organisational, professional, and personal lives. We hope you find it insightful.