IAF: Intuitive Alignment
& Fulfillment
It is critical to start by stating that the IAF is the one MDNA gift that functions particularly uniquely from the rest. Many an IAF has felt misunderstood, questioning their design because of key discrepancies. This MDNA simply sees the world differently and comes to conclusions in a manner that, while eventually leading to a positive and shared result, can be frustrating to others with different MDNA.
The IAF is the most emotional of all the MDNA gifts. Individuals with this MDNA are designed to emotionally experience Life to the fullest at work, home and every other layer of society. The IAF is the most intuitively compassionate of all the gifts. They have the ability to sense where alignment is necessary and become deeply emotionally invested to seeing vision become fulfilled. Their intrinsic commitment to creative excellence is unparalleled, which generates wondrous results but also tremendous internal angst as the IAF tries to communicate through all the emotional complexity.
IAF: Examples
Some examples of popular IAFs, today and throughout history, are the late Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple; superstar recording artist Taylor Swift; Daniel Gauthier, one of the co-founders of Cirque du Soleil; and C.S. Lewis, the timeless writer that brought classics such as The Chronicles of Narnia. If you are a fan of the HBO series and literary series Game of Thrones written by George R. R. Martin, both Eddard Stark and Tyrion Lannister were IAFs.
(Celebrity profiles are unofficial, unverified and for educational purposes only.)
IAF: Brand Culture
In business, the organization with this Motivational Value System is imprinted in a very unique manner with the brand profile “Intuitive Ecosystems.” In science, an ecosystem is a complex set of relationships that sustains life. This is the metaphor for the Intuitive Ecosystems brand in business. This type of organization surrounds the consumer with everything he or she needs to feel special and fulfilled.
Fulfillment is the core competence for the Intuitive Ecosystems organization. As noted, this involves the fulfillment of a customer need. But it also involves innovating products and services to reach their fullest purpose and potential. Another form of this is providing the market an ecosystem that empowers a customer’s ecosystem. For example, Etsy is an online marketplace for handmade goods by “makers”. Etsy’s vision was based upon allowing any maker to be successful from home through an ecosystem of features.
In another example, Apple has dominated the electronics market by offering an intuitive digital ecosystem through platforms like iTunes and hardware like the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Cirque du Soleil, provides an ecosystem in a different manner. Instead of a traditional circus where the audience focuses on one specific act, patrons are treated to a creative ecosystem of acrobatics, dance and other feats of visual stimulation. One can pick where to place their attention.
Other examples of IAF brand culture organizations are Disney, Starbucks, Wordpress and Marvel Comics.
The IAF and Culture
It is worth taking a small departure here to discuss that each MDNA gift can also be tracked to historical time periods and trends in societal cultures. Think of each gift as a season that represents a general trend within areas such as entertainment, education, management styles and general social dynamics. At the moment around the world, global culture indicates we are in an IAF trend. The previous trend was DLF, which, in about 2005, we began transitioning out of.
Without going into overwhelming details, an IAF trend puts the IAF person in a unique position for potential leadership. Not to say the other gifts are diminished in leadership capacity, but the IAF has a unique perspective that can be advantageous on multiple levels. But with every possible advantage comes a potential liability. The IAF can fall victim to popular trend and just settle for mediocrity instead of standing apart as a leader.
For now, whether you are an IAF person or are seeking insights into the IAF world, the qualities of this MDNA represents both the individual and cultural trend. Paying attention to both perspectives can become a competitive advantage if integrated properly into any organizational culture.
IAF: How to Live by Design and Change the World
First off, of all the MDNA gifts, you are the most sensitive and complex. Unfortunately, so many IAFs feel like there is something wrong with them because of this. You are normal. In fact, you have a very special design to change the world at this moment in history.
This is not to minimize the other MDNA gifts. It’s just that society and culture are in a very special trend right now. This is an opportunity for you to really shine and make a difference. There are both positive and negative aspects to this.
First, you create safety for emotionally wounded people. They are attracted to you and vice versa. This is very important because today, so many people are under emotional and mental duress. In their pain and rejection, you are safe and compassionate (this means you may shed tears quite often which is also normal). This compassion is emotionally healing. We all need emotional healing whether we admit it or not.
Second, you are loyal to those you love. Even though it may sound hokey, love is so important right now. When those closest to you are hurt, you are hurt. When they are rejected or mistreated, you do not tolerate those that are insensitive to this. This is why, although many people may be in your network, you have a very small inner circle of intimate friends.
Third, you speak a totally different language than others. Again, you might have questioned this about yourself. And one more time, this is normal. You speak the language of the heart. This language is intuitive and doesn’t always have a vocabulary which can be frustrating for others. This also means you often need emotional time to process decisions and transitions in Life. Trust your gut instinct. It is right more than it is wrong. You just must learn how to articulate it in a way others can understand. This will always be a challenge, but you can draw from the other MDNA gifts to help you with this as a starting point.
Fourth, in order to really fulfill your design, you will need to gain the proper perspective on pain. By default, you might see no benefit to emotional pain and suffering. This will tempt you to avoid pain. The problem is you may be missing out on an opportunity to develop discipline that leads to maturity, in yourself and others. Even though you can easily be hurt by words and actions of others, fight the temptation to put up the walls and shut down. Doing this will disqualify you from the opportunities to heal people and change the world.
This also means you will need healthy boundaries. Don’t let people take advantage of your approachability and emotional safety. Don’t let people dump on you or manipulate you through expectations. The burdens of others are ultimately not your responsibility. Sometimes you will need to be harmless instead of being helpful. Don’t enable people no matter how much they are hurting. Don’t shy away from tough love. You need tough love to change the world.
Finally, you are designed to foster ecosystems of intimacy and excellence. This may sound pretty abstract and on many levels it is. But you are designed to envision a state of excellence and completion in the world around you. After that, you have the innate ability to bring everything into alignment. This is no small task. It requires taking every detail and aligning it according to its purpose and fit. You need to use your intuition for this which again, may be hard to explain to others. Remember your gut instinct is usually more right than it is wrong. Be patient with others and with yourself. Don’t let emotions drive you. Let your emotions be like signals and signs to help guide what you are sensing.
Yours is a curious and complex gift for sure. In fact, others with different MDNA may read this and be completely perplexed. Yet in your heart, reading this, you know this all rings true. And as you live your design, seeing and experiencing Life differently, you will just know that you know that you know, how precisely to change the world.