KWR/DLF Celebrity: Louis Litt (Suits)

"You just got Litt up!"

Louis Litt - KWR/DLF

Louis Litt is one of the reasons why Suits is so awesome. He is crazy, hilarious, antagonizing, infuriating and wonderful all at the same time. He is a great example of the KWR when it comes to a professional field like practicing law.

KWR (Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility)

Louis Litt is a total nerd. He is a subject matter expert in the law, theater and ballet. KWRs love having all the knowledge of specific subjects and appreciate tradition. As a KWR, Louis also excels when it comes academic achievement. He is very proud of coming from Harvard which is also a KWR organization in its social DNA and Brand Culture. And just like a KWR, he is very precise with information while being very, very quirky (just watch him dictate into his personal recorder and you will see why).

One of the quirks that can stunt a KWR is the necessity to be right. That is Louis. This gets him in trouble all the time.

Now Louis loves the law. This is very KWR. But the KWR can be legalistic which is also part of Louis' dysfunctional patterns. If people aren't doing things to the letter of the law, he gets pretty upset. Yet, this makes him a master at the law and a masterful lawyer, especially when it comes to forensic legal analysis.

KWRs can also struggle with selective responsibility. Louis is constantly being challenged to take responsibility for his actions and the team. This is why those around him hold up a mirror to his actions so he can take responsibility.

What makes Louis so interesting is how insecure he is. This is why he has developed a DLF secondary.

DLF (Dominion Leadership & Freedom)

The DLF can be an institutional leader. When disengaged and dysfunctional, the DLF needs to have a title and the power that comes with it. Louis covers his insecurities by seeking power. Which is why, for several seasons, he always made power plays to become a named partner at the firm. In the most recent episode, he even makes a play to become managing partner and is rebuked. Later he admits that, just like in The Lord of the Rings, the institutional power would have corrupted him.

The DLF in Louis however, makes him a good leader. Sure, he is a cruel task master to first year associates. But he also teaches them to be tough and loyal to the firm. Not to say his methods are always advisable, but there is nothing wrong with helping others develop a thick skin when it comes to the world of corporate law.

Regardless of how dysfunctional Louis can be, he has a heart of gold. On the inside he is just a kid who loves the law and wants to be loved the same. Like him or loathe him, I hope Louis continues to develop and find redemption in his character arc.

And no Suits week of profiles would be complete without the boss: Jessica Pearson.

Fictional characters also can have MDNA profiles. Typically every great character is based upon somebody in real life, except the persona and core traits are amplified. This makes learning the principles of their MDNA profile much easier and a valuable exercise. Not to mention it can be fun and entertaining.

IAF Celebrity: Rob Kalin (Etsy Brand Culture)

Etsy and its gifted founder Rob Kalin is an interesting story of intrinsic motivation and social DNA. One that the IAF (Intuitive Alignment and Fulfillment) gift can learn from--especially when it comes to the Brand Culture of Intimate Ecosystems.

Etsy is a peer-to-peer (P2P) e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and supplies, as well as unique factory-manufactured items. Etsy has over 54 million members and went public on April 16, 2015. The company's valuation was $1.8 billion and raised $237 million in IPO proceeds.

Etsy was founded by Rob Kalin who is an IAF. The IAF's core competence and Brand Culture is Intimate Ecosystems which, in this case, was imprinted upon Etsy.

IAFs are very well known for gravitating to people on the economical, social and emotional fringes. This is because of their empathy and compassion. While the IAF is well known by many, they prefer to operate in smaller inner circles where it is all about intimacy and relational depth versus wide a social network (like the EIA). This is why Etsy has been successful. As Kalin puts it:

"We want to allow the makers of the world to claim authorship for what they're making, This is what Etsy stands for: The little guy being able to organize a better marketplace."

Intimate Ecosystems Empowering Other Ecosystems

A marketplace is an ecosystem. The IAF is able to create an intimate ecosystem that empowers other ecosystems. In this case, the Etsy ecosystem empowers the ecosystems of all its crafters in a very intimate way. This is why Etsy has so many features for the handmade entrepreneur. Kalin, as an IAF, was actually known for providing almost too many features during Etsy's development. This is because the IAf is intrinsically motivated to take care of every minute detail to ensure their intimate ecosystem aligns and fulfills their customers. Kalin is truly passionate about the makers of the world.

Kalin himself is seeking personal fulfillment. For the IAF success is not enough. They need to feel fulfilled according to a vision in their hearts. This is why they tend to be very involved in that vision. Kalin continues:

"I'm a hands-on guy, I need to be building things to feel like I'm making a meaningful contribution, and I didn't want to sit around as some kind of wall decoration-slash-mascot for culture."

Kalin also once told his team after a stint away and returning as CEO:

"I'm here to restore a sense of wonder, a sense of poetry, and a sense of foolishness to Etsy."

This is classic IAF. All of this comes from the heart which is why the other MDNA gifts are drawn to work with an IAF.

Kalin is no longer the CEO of Etsy as he was reportedly fired. While we don't like to be presumptious, we do believe, based upon public information, that the IAF in Kalin was unable to make the shift necessary to meet the demands of being a public company. It is very common, when a company goes public, that a CVS or DLF leader at the top is needed. It's not that the IAF cannot be a CEO. It is just that not every IAF is willing to move past their emotions and sensitivities into the often harsh realities of scaling execution and generating ROI that shareholders want to see. This is not an indictment on the IAF. Nor is it impossible for an IAF to lead (Steve Jobs anyone?). This is imply an observation we have made over many years of working with the IAF and Intimate Ecosystems Brand Culture. In fact all the other gifts, UCD, SSA, KWR and EIA, also need serious help (including getting over themselves) when a business grows to a certain size.

Yet the social DNA of Etsy carries on. Current CEO Chad Dickerson gets it. Here is how he describes the ethos (the heart of what we call Brand Culture) of Etsy after spending time with Etsy crafters.

"Etsy is a platform that provides meaning to people, and an opportunity to validate their art, their craft.... all commerce is about real human interaction. At the end of every transaction, you get something real from a real person. There is an existential satisfaction to that."

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

KWR Celebrity: Dr. Phil

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Dr. Phil McGraw

KWR (Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility)

Dr. Phil, is an American television personality, author, psychologist, and the host of the television show Dr. Phil. Dr. Phil first gained celebrity status with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. He is also the author of several best-selling self-help books.

We have profiled Dr. Phil as a KWR because of his academic achievements, entrepreneurial ventures, and massively popular television show.

First, the KWR enjoys academic achievement. Dr. Phil has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, a Master of Arts in experimental psychology, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in clinical psychology.

More than just an education however, the KWR also understands how to apply knowledge for precise analysis and validation. One of Dr. Phil’s first ventures was a company called Courtroom Sciences. The venture helped trial lawyers build cases using psychology by conducting mock trials, behavioral analysis, jury selection and mediation. In fact, through Courtroom Sciences, Dr. Phil met Oprah Winfrey by helping her defense in a lawsuit. Dr. Phil then regularly appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show which would launch a show of his very own.

Finally, one of the most common qualities of the KWR is a sense of humour, and unimposing approach when helping others. The KWR prefers to present rational options and help guide the individual to taking responsibility. Dr. Phil is known for being plain-spoken providing common sense advice rather than complicated self-help jargon. People regularly remark that even though he is a psychologist, Dr. Phil is comfortable to listen to—especially by men. This is truly the KWR in action.

One thing we have noticed though is that Dr. Phil tends to have a little more of a blunt and tough demeanor compared to other KWR’s we have observed. With a catchphrase, “Get real,” we attribute this to a DLF (Dominion Leadership & Freedom) secondary MDNA.

Here are some quotes from Dr. Phil that demonstrate the knowledgeable wisdom and responsibility of being a KWR:

“When you choose your behaviour, you choose your consequences.”

“If you learn something from having been taken advantage by someone, it becomes tuition. If you don’t, it’s a penalty. If you learned something, look at it as an education.”

KWR Celebrity: Bruce Lee

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Bruce Lee

KWR (Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility)

Bruce Lee was a Hong Kong American martial artist, film actor, martial arts instructor, filmmaker, and the founder of Jeet Kune Do. Lee is widely considered by commentators, critics, media and other martial artists to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time, and a pop culture icon of the 20th century. He is often credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.

Much like Muhammad Ali, it can be easy to see Bruce Lee being an actor as indication of an EIA (Empowering Inspiration & Attraction) primary MDNA Profile. But again, like Muhammad Ali, a deeper look into Lee’s history and success reveals a different story.

We have assessed Bruce Lee as a KWR. This is based upon the fact his greatest legacy was not his mark in the entertainment industry, but how he revolutionized his form of martial arts.

The KWR can be recognized by the need to validate theories and claims of truth. They are analytical and passionately focused on perfection of precision in all their endeavors. This is how Bruce Lee approached everything from learning English to dancing and “gung fu” (Lee always spelled his Chinese martial art as GUNG FU, which is the Cantonese pronunciation of the more commonly spelled Kung Fu, a Mandarin pronunciation—another sign of the KWR’s need for precision).

According to his foundation, when Lee first came to America, Bruce majored in philosophy. His passion for gung fu inspired a desire to delve into the philosophical underpinnings of the arts. Many of his written essays would relate philosophical principles to certain martial arts techniques. For instance, he wrote often about the principles of yin and yang and how they could translate into hard and soft physical movements.

A particular incident accelerated his process of self-exploration and KWR validation. In 1964 Bruce was challenged by some gung fu men who objected to his teaching of non-Chinese students. Bruce accepted the challenge. The terms were that if Bruce were defeated he would stop teaching the non Chinese.  It was a short fight with his opponent giving up when Lee had him pinned to the floor after about three minutes. The significance of this fight was that Lee was extremely disappointed in his own performance. Even though he had won, he was winded and discouraged about his inability to put the man away in under three minutes. This marked a turning point for Bruce in his exploration of his martial art and the enhancement of his physical fitness. Thus began the evolution of Jeet Kune Do.

Bruce Lee’s teaching style also aligns with the KWR MDNA Profile. The KWR typically exhibits a warm sense of humor and makes learning very approachable. Such was Lee’s charisma as he is known for teaching conversationally, injecting humor into his comments while at the same time demonstrating his power, precision and speed for those he taught.

Without getting into the technical intricacies of Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee constantly analyzed and perfected his techniques, along with his own body. Although Lee tragically passed away before his first Hollywood blockbuster premiered in America, nobody can argue that his knowledge and wisdom has made an impact on martial artists around the world to this day.

KWR Celebrity: Jim Collins (Good to Great)

Here is why you should read the book Good to Great with an MDNA perspective.

Jim Collins, Best-Selling Author of Good to Great, is a KWR (Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility)

The KWR’s core competence is “Perfecting Precision.” In other words, the KWR knows how to help you go from good to great. The KWR has the ability to take information and help process it with precision. In fact, the book argues that the main factor for achieving greatness is the narrowing and focusing of a company’s resources on their field of competence.

(As individuals, should we not do the same? What if we focused our resources into a field of competence, or even better, synchronizing our purpose, passions and potential? That’s what MDNA is all about! But I digress.)

To write Good to Great, Collins used a large team of researchers who studied 6,000 articles, generated more than 2,000 pages of interview transcripts and created 384 megabytes of computer data in a five-year project. This is KWR at its finest. Collins was a true data scientist before big data and the profession became popular. He was ahead of his time.

Although written in 2001, and many of the companies featured in the book are arguably not so great any more, the principles remain true. These are the principles of the KWR that we can all learn. Mainly the principle of responsibility.

Collins began his research and teaching career at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He received the Distinguished Teaching Award. He now runs a management laboratory in Colorado, where he conducts research and teaches executives from corporate and social sectors. You will find him regularly helping leaders understand what it means to be responsible to an organization and society as a whole.

KWRs are commonly found teaching. Not that they are only limited to being teachers (just as other MDNA gifts can be very accomplished teachers as well). But the KWR can, and is designed to, teach responsibility like no other. We must all learn what we are responsible for, past, present and especially the future. This responsibility is holistic and not just limited to academic achievements. This is also why the immature KWR can struggle with “selective responsibility,” which is when one feels they do not have to be responsible as a whole because of achievement and mastery in certain areas. For example, just because one boasts accolades in a profession, it does not mean we are exempt from achieving the same in family life such as marriage or parenting. Or, just because one is intellectually accomplished, it does not mean we are to ignore our physical health or emotionally connecting with others. (These are real world examples from KWRs we know.)

Looking into the life of Collins, we can see that he most likely activate the principle of responsibility during his time at Hewlett-Packard. HP is a KWR company with the Brand Culture of Perfecting Precision. Collins and HP are like two peas in a pod.

Here is a wonderful article of Collins teaching on responsibility through the lens of HP.

If you get an opportunity, allow a KWR to help you go from good to great with perfecting precision. Check out the book and keep the KWR in mind.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from Collins. It is something to ponder for sure:

Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the reasons that we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, precisely because it is easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great precisely because they become quite good—and that is their main problem.

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

KWR Celebrity: Peyton Manning

If you consider yourself any sort of real football fan, you have to respect a first-ballot-hall-of-famer like Peyton Manning. He is one-of-a-kind. What makes him so special? Not only is his athletic ability world-class, he exemplifies his MDNA to the highest pedegree as well.

Peyton Manning: KWR (Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility)

The core competence of the KWR is perfecting precision. Manning is a genius when it comes to football and has perfected his profession with such precision you cannot help but be in awe. Sure, he looks like the family doctor your parents love and not a football star. You could say he is a nerd. But this nerd has won a Superbowl which 99% of all jocks will never be able to claim.

Manning started deconstructing NFL games in high school. According to lore, a few days after the Indianapolis Colts made him the first pick of the 1998 draft, he had the team playbook memorized. This is the intrinsic motivations of a KWR.

He is also not shy about ensuring his team mates take responsibility for the team. He made his pee wee linemen block harder. Rookies have to meet him on the field at 8:00 am the day after they are drafted. Manning gives team mates pop quizzes about opponents just passing by in the locker room. And if you don’t know your stuff, watch out. He’s known to record voice notes late at night, after marathon sessions of watching film, to send to coaches to address in the morning. He demands perfection and precision, not just from himself, but from all around him. His mind is always going about football. He competes and leads like a KWR.

A KWR needs mental stimulation. Manning stimulates his brain at the highest level. The gridiron is his classroom and laboratory.

The KWR is also quirky and funny. Manning is no different. Many in the NFL can attest to his social quirks. He drives some people crazy and is often accused of having OCD. He also stars in the funniest commercials and has no problem with self-deprecation. He can be pretty dorky at times. Classic KWR.

Will Peyton Manning win another Superbowl in his potential last season? It would be great to see him ride off into the sunset. If he is in Superbowl 50, I’ll be rooting for him. (Unless he is playing the Vikings of course. I don’t care how legendary of a KWR you are in that case. Go Vikings!)

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

KWR Celebrity: Walter White (Breaking Bad)

Fictional characters also can have MDNA Profiles. Typically every great character is based upon somebody in real life, except the persona and core traits are amplified. This makes learning the principles of their MDNA Profile much easier and a valuable exercise. Not to mention it can be fun and entertaining.

Walter White

KWR (Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility)

In the breakout television series Breaking Bad, portrayed by actor Bryan Cranston, Walter “Walt” Hartwell White Sr., also known as “Heisenberg”, was a chemist and a former chemistry teacher, who, after being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, started manufacturing crystal methamphetamine to both pay for his treatments and provide for his family in the event of his passing.

As huge fans of the show, this was an absolute blast of a profile to do. Walter White is the ultimate expression of the KWR MDNA. He embodies all the giftedness of this profile on one hand, while on the other, exemplified all the negative traits the KWR should learn to avoid.

First, let’s look at the positive. The KWR is known for the core competence of perfecting precision. This is what led to Walter White’s ability to create the most chemically pure and stable crystal meth that made him the most sought after “cook” to an international scale. (By no means are we saying perfecting the recipe for methamphetamine is ethically justified, but this is the positive potential the KWR is capable of.) As a KWR, he was also passionate about teaching and passing on his knowledge and wisdom. Also just like the KWR, he was full of facts and started with an unimposing demeanor and a quirky wit.

It’s the principle of responsibility where this character truly begins “breaking bad.” One of the greatest struggles for the KWR is the trap of selective responsibility. This is when the KWR is so accomplished in one area, such as intellectual achievement at work, that the KWR can be tempted to feel exempt from being holistically responsible in all other areas, such as family. But when it comes to Walter White, this is only the beginning.

Where a healthy KWR is highly disciplined, analytical and will use wisdom as a tool to help others, the unhealthy KWR can be highly selfish and use information as a tool for power and manipulation. Yes, while White was highly analytical and disciplined with his craft; he was a master manipulator, using lies and trickery to accomplish his goals. He also took a highly doctrinal, even religious approach, to cooking meth. He was legalistic to the core when it came to his lab. His intellectual vanity and ego got the best of him.

Ultimately, Walter White became a sociopath. This too can become an unfortunate reality extreme for the dysfunctional KWR.

It is interesting to note that as the show progressed, Walter White began to exhibit the negative aspects of the DLF (Dominion Leadership & Freedom) MDNA Profile. This slowly became his secondary profile as he learned DLF behaviours through his social circles and experiences in the underworld of drug trafficking. Nothing made this more evident when Walter White proclaimed, “I’m in the empire business,” during an intense moment with his partner Jesse.

Walter White, without a doubt, is one of the most fascinating characters to hit television. But he should be seen as a cautionary tale for every KWR. The KWR, in our real-world observation, has the capacity to win big or lose big because of their intellectual prowess. In fact, it is not uncommon for the KWR to admit fantasizing about committing the perfect crime. Combined with selective responsibility, this de-synchronization of purpose, passions and potential can become truly dangerous.

Thankfully, Breaking Bad is just a very popular television show. Men like “Heisenberg” don’t really exist right? (Let’s not answer that.)

KWR Celebrity: Steve Wozniak

In the spirit of our last post on Steve Jobs, it is only fair we take a look at Steve Wozniak, “Woz”, the often forgotten co-founder of Apple. Wozniak was portrayed by Seth Rogan in the movie Steve Jobs. Woz is a KWR.

Steve Wozniak – KWR (Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility)

The core competence of a KWR is “perfecting precision.” The KWR knows how to take knowledge, wisdom and apply them to make things better–way bettter. They love academics and value education. And you will find KWRs passionate about being subject matter experts in anything that interests them. They are often referred to as “nerds” which is only one type of KWR expression. For example, for every Sheldon Cooper (KWR/DLF) on the show The Big Bang Theory, you have Peyton Manning who is a KWR athlete. Woz just happens to be more Big Bang than NFL (he brought Comic Con to Silicon Valley), but the intrinsic motivation and social DNA are the same.

One of the best articles I’ve read, which is an interview with Woz, is on the site for Founders at Work which is a book written by Jessica Livingston. I will be excerpting quotes from his interview which you can read for yourself.

Perfecting Precision

Steve Wozniak knew he could learn how to make circuit boards better. That’s where this KWR story starts.

Even back in high school I knew I could design computers with half as many chips as the companies were selling them with. I taught myself, but I had taught myself in a way that forced me to learn all sorts of trickiness.

My whole life was basically trying to optimize things. You don’t just save parts, but every time you save parts you save on complexity and reliability, the amount of time it takes to understand something. And how good you can build it without errors and bugs and flaws.

The KWR is also very precise in their communication. They don’t like to use second hand information or anecdotes. They learn and validate knowledge to a high level of precision. The way that Wozniak’s recounts how he designed circuit boards shows this. It’s almost dizzying the level of technical detail. Here is a taste:

The dynamic RAMs were going to be 1/4 the price. The dynamic RAMs meant that instead of 32 chips to have enough memory for a computer to have a language, you only needed 8 chips of RAMs. But dynamic RAM needs all this circuitry to get into every single address in the RAM every 2000th of a second, read what was there and write it back, or it forgets it. Dynamic RAM (this is what we have in our computers today) will forget every single bit in a 2000th of a second unless something reads it and writes it back the way it was to hold its state. It’s like little electrons stored on a plate and they’ll leak off in a 2000th of a second.

Apple became known for its simple design. While Steve Jobs championed a vision of design, it was Steve Wozniak that applied the KWR gift to perfection and precision.

In my minimalist approach, I made the wires the shortest, straightest, thinnest wires possible, instead of having these big old looped up hairy messes of wire wrap type stuff. So I did all that and I was also the technician. I would test things out and look for the voltages first and apply it carefully and look for signals and analyze what was wrong and fix the bugs and resolder and come up with new ideas and add some chips in. I was the technician and everything, for all of the Apple projects I ever did.

The KWR will demand excellence and be very disciplined and diligent about it when perfecting precision. When asked about what makes an excellent engineer, Woz’s reply is:

You have to be very diligent. You have to check every little detail. You have to be so careful that you haven’t left something out. You have to think harder and deeper than you normally would. It’s hard with today’s large, huge programs.

The KWR, when operating in full maturity and synchronization, also advocates for social responsibility. When asked to give advice to people thinking about starting their own company, this is a classic KWR response:

First of all, try to have the highest of ethics and to be open and truthful about things, not hiding. If you have to hide something for company reasons, at least explain what you’re doing. Don’t mislead people. Know in your heart that you are a good person with good goals because that will carry over to your own self-confidence and your belief in your engineering abilities. Always seek excellence: make your product better than the average person would.

The KWR is very unimposing. They don’t believe in ramrodding solutions or their leadership. It’s not that they are passive, but typically the KWR simply wants to focus on where they feel the most comfortable.

In business and politics, I wasn’t going to be a real strong participant. I wasn’t going to tell other people how to do things. I wasn’t going to run things ever in my life. I was a non-political person and I was a very non-forceful person. It dated back to a lot of things that happened during the Vietnam War. But I just couldn’t run a company. But then one person said I could be an engineer. That was all I needed to know, that “Okay, I’ll start this company and I’ll just be an engineer.” To this day, I’m still on the org chart, on the bottom of the org chart—never once been anything but an engineer who works.

Now Woz was willing to stand up for what he believed for. In the case of Steve Jobs, there are many accounts of the one real argument they had about the number of slots in the first Apple computers. Jobs wanted less. Woz would not back down. Jobs had no choice. In the end, the right decision was made. The product was better for it.

Woz is why Apple was able to “think” in the “Think Different” brand slogan. Jobs brought the “different” but the KWR helps the organization truly think. Woz also championed Apple’s long history of supporting education. This is also why Woz “secretly” taught school for eight years. He believes in academically developing young minds which if a gift that many KWRs bring to the world.

It’s easy to see Apple only through the celebrity of Steve Jobs. But without the other Steve, Steve Wozniak, we wouldn’t have the Apple we know today. Here’s to celebrating the KWR!

IAF Celebrity: Steve Jobs

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Steve Jobs

IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment)

Unless you have been living under a rock or remote desert island, the late Steve Jobs needs no introduction. Jobs was an American entrepreneur, marketer, and inventor, who was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. which is considered one of the most iconic brands in the world valued at over $98 billion. Another one of his equally successful, if not equally as known, ventures was Pixar which sold to Disney for $7.4 billion.

There is often much debate for those familiar with the MDNA Strategy on whether Steve Jobs is a UCD (Unyielding Conviction & Design) or an IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment). We are convinced, based upon biographical accounts and the success of Apple¸ that Jobs is indeed an IAF.

First and foremost, Jobs was intuitive like no other. He was renowned for his ability to envision the future and then fulfill it. Jobs was a demanding perfectionist who always aspired to excellence by foreseeing and setting trends of innovation and style. He was infamous for being a stickler for every minute detail when it came to the design experience. These are quintessential traits for the IAF.

Even while terminally ill in the hospital, Jobs sketched new devices that would hold the iPad in a hospital bed. Some accounts say he despised and refused to wear the oxygen monitor on his finger and suggested ways to revise the design for simplicity.

Jobs summed up the heart of the IAF at the end of his keynote speech at the 2007 Macworld Conference by quoting ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky:

“There’s an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love, ‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.’ And we’ve always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very, very beginning. And we always will.”

Where the UCD is known for innovating new paradigms, the IAF is all about innovation through intimate ecosystems. Our argument is that Jobs never really invented anything new, rather he was a master at taking something—anything really—and making it fit, intimately, into the ecosystems of our lives for a better experience. Take for example MP3 players and tablet computers. The technology for these had existed for years before Apple applied its magic. What Steve Jobs did, was take that technology and create a highly intuitive and aligned (not to mention massively popular) ecosystem. Nobody can deny that using an iPhone, iPod, iPad and iTunes together is a gratifying human experience.

On a personal side, Steve Jobs was all about fulfillment. The IAF needs fulfillment, and has the ability to help others achieve the same fulfillment more than any other. This quote pretty much sums it up:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

IAF Celebrity: Taylor Swift

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Taylor Swift

IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment)

Taylor Swift is arguably one of the most successful singer-songwriters in the past decade. She is often heralded as saving the recording industry alongside other superstars like Adele.

According to her Wikipedia page, Taylor Swift’s achievements include seven Grammy Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, eleven American Music Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards and six Academy of Country Music Awards. She has sold over 26 million albums and 75 million digital single downloads worldwide. Forbes estimates that she is worth over $220 million.

How did she become so successful? The fact that we believe she is an IAF has a lot to do with it.

The IAF MDNA Profile stands for “Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment.” The first indication that Swift is an IAF is in her music. Rolling Stone has described her as, “a songwriting savant with an intuitive gift for verse-chorus-bridge architecture whose squirmingly intimate and true songs seemed to be literally ripped from a suburban girl’s diary.” Swift’s music makes a deep connection that aligns with the inner desire for fulfillment with her fans. Typically, the IAF can also be highly creative, needing to express their complex inner emotions to connect with others. The IAF has the ability to make this connection inexplicably intimate like no other MDNA Profile.

“I’ve only thought about it as a way to help me get through love and loss and sadness and loneliness and growing up. When I write songs it’s never a conscious decision—it’s an idea that floats down in front of me at four in the morning or in the middle of a conversation or on a tour bus or in the mall or in an airport bathroom. I never know when I’m gonna get an idea and I never know what it’s gonna be.”

The IAF also works extremely hard when they envision a picture of success. They naturally do not see things the way they are, but rather the way they could be. Then the IAFbuilds an intuitive ecosystem to realize the vision. During this process, the IAF thinks in a circular motion accounting for every minute detail, versus the linear approach all other profiles take. Swift appears to be a master at this evidenced by how hard she works at her music and performance even while others are taking a break. Swift contributes to every detail of the show. She is a self-professed worrier which is a common result of being motivated like the IAF.

“You have to or else you’ll have these surprises pop up. And you don’t ever want to be caught by surprise when you’re touring.”

Another quality of the IAF can be found in their social circles. Although they are admired and respected by many, the IAF typically has a small, and very tight, circle of friends that intimately know everything about each other. Taylor is known to be very loyal to her “girl tribe”, which includes the likes of Emma Stone and Selena Gomez. “We never talk about fashion, about career, about our ambitions or our projects,” Swift has said of her pals. “We just talk about relationships, feelings, love, and boys.”

The IAF is always seeking personal fulfillment. Swift is no exception. Nothing seems to fulfill her more than the connection she has between her music and her fans. When she walks out onto the stage, Swift always takes a moment to close her eyes and just feel the love of her cheering fans.

IAF Celebrity: Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

ictional characters also can have MDNA Profiles. Typically every great character is based upon somebody in real life, except the persona and core traits are amplified. This makes learning the principles of their MDNA Profile much easier and a valuable exercise. Not to mention it can be fun and entertaining.

Jesse Pinkman

IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment)

Breaking Bad week ends with Jesse Pinkman, who is portrayed by actor Aaron Paul. In the series, Pinkman is the on-again-off-again partner of Walter White in the methamphetamine drug trade. In high school, Jesse was a small-time methamphetamine user, manufacturer, and dealer. He was also an inattentive student in Walter White’s chemistry class. Through a twist of fate, Jesse would become White’s business partner in the meth trade.

Of all the characters in the series, in our opinion, Jesse Pinkman experiences the most dramatic character personality arc. Starting as a laid-back jokester and very much the show’s comic relief, Pinkman, after key events, transforms into a troubled, reckless and sorrowful shadow of his former self. His MDNA Profile provides an insight to this and a learning opportunity for us all.

Jesse Pinkman is an IAF. He is in fact, the most emotionally complex character in the series, which is one of the first recognizable core traits of the IAF profile.

One of the major traps, the IAF can fall into, is settling for mediocrity with a constant desire for overt self-gratification. The IAF is prone to this because they experience everything, especially rejection, so deeply. In the case of Pinkman, his parents are the source of this. Between their former enabling, to outright rejection, favoring his younger overachieving brother, Pinkman’s parents are a constant source of emotional pain. The IAF typically responds to this in a victim mentality (it’s everybody else’s fault), and then settles into mediocrity because taking risks can only lead to more rejection. The IAF then naturally moves to just doing what makes them feel happy.

To the IAF, emotions can become their worst enemy. Because of this emotional complexity, the IAF will go very deep and expend tremendous amounts of emotional energy and get emotionally choked out. The IAF tends to take the bumps of Life pretty hard, tending to go round and round an issue and fall into a quicksand of negative details and feelings. The extreme result of this is complete ineffectiveness.

This is not to say that other profiles cannot fall into such behavior, but it is particularly prevalent in the IAF.

The flipside to this emotional depth is the IAF can be incredibly loyal and have tremendous empathy when others lack compassion. Despite Walter White’s manipulation and authoritarian abuse, Pinkman’s bond to his partner grew stronger the more they experienced together. Also, Pinkman could not bear the thought of causing those he cared for pain.  Because his own childhood was maligned, he compensated by showing incredible compassion for children characters on the show. Again however, he would emotionally act irrationally when they were hurt—or unfortunately killed.

Despite his faults, along with a complete lack of self-awareness and discipline, one could argue Jesse was actually the most moral character of the story whose heart was always in the right place. As all IAFs can attest to, he did all the wrong things for the right reasons.

Even though Jesse Pinkman was a fictional character, we encounter young real-world individuals like him constantly. Instead of settling for mediocrity, the IAF needs to learn that their purpose, passions and potential are worthy and possible pursuits—even at the risk of emotional rejection to get there. The IAF, because of their incredible intuitive ability to align reality for the fulfillment of an ultimate vision, should note what the Breaking Bad creator had to say about the Jesse Pinkman character:

“Jesse is a leader who thinks he’s a follower.” – Vince Gilligan

IAF Celebrity: Nelson Mandela

Why this truly merciful and sacrificial leader’s legacy should challenge us all.

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Nelson Mandela

IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment)

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and an enduring icon of the struggle against racial oppression, died on Thursday December 5, 2013. President Jacob Zuma announced the loss with the statement, “His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, his compassion and his humanity earned him their love.”

Mandela is one of the easier MDNA Profiles to identify. As an IAF, he transformed an entire nation with his vision and sacrifices in Life that are absolutely rare in leadership today.

“Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.” – Nelson Mandela

Mandela spent 27 years in prison after being convicted of treason by a white minority government. Despite the injustice and captivity, Mandela continued on to forge a peaceful end to white rule by negotiating with his captors after his release. He eventually led the African National Congress to a resounding electoral victory which is marked as the first fully democratic election in the country’s history.

While revered, Mandela was also the target of much criticism which will be debated in certain circles for years as much as he is celebrated. This reveals one of the most interesting aspects of the IAF profile.

One of the most central areas to explore for the IAF profile is the concept of reconciliation. On one hand, the IAF is very vulnerable to the pain and suffering caused by others. The IAF carries the emotional burdens of others as deeply as their own. The IAF can be prone to debilitating bitterness that comes from an emotional stubbornness in refusing to forgive others.

Nelson Mandela, however, exemplified the power and potential of true heartfelt reconciliation. Some described Mandela’s form of reconciliation as the utmost in practical and pragmatic. This was the kind of reconciliation that could heal an entire national politically and spiritually.

Reconciliation is not always the most popular notion with the IAF individual, more so than the other profiles.

Did Mandela not have every right to be offended and seek retribution against those that oppressed him and his people for over a quarter century? As an IAF, most assuredly he felt every moment of pain, despair and anger—for him and against him. Yet Mandela knew, by envisioning a future through his intrinsic lens of political excellence, for the sake of a nation, reconciliation was necessary, both personally and professionally. And he not only talked the talk, but if you know the story of his prison release, he also walked the walk.

The IAF, above and beyond all the other profiles, has the power to create an environment where every party feels intimately aligned. In today’s society and cultural trend, this intimacy is the new authority. And this authority has the power to change individuals, organizations, countries and humanity.

We strongly encourage every IAF that ever reads this to sincerely consider Nelson Mandela’s model of humility, reconciliation, and true leadership. And may his legacy endure and continue to be an example for us all.

IAF Celebrity: David Bowie

On January 10 2016, David Bowie passed away of cancer. He was 69 years old. Bowie was considered a rock legend and left a very clear legacy when it came to his work.

Admittedly, I was not much of a David Bowie fan other than his most popular song Under Pressure. I am more of a Queen fan so that link with Bowie could not be ignored. Upon his death, I began looking into Bowie’s life because of the clear mark he left upon the world as conveyed by the media. How did this man’s intrinsic motivation and social DNA catapult him to such cult status?

David Bowie IAF – Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment

I think the bet evidence of Bowie’s MDNA, outside of his body of work, is the documentary Cracked Actor. It’s very clear that Bowie is an IAF.

It is typical for superstar entertainers to be EIA (Empowering Inspiration & Attraction) because of the constant social spotlight. And while the IAF can live in the spotlight, as Bowie did, there is a big difference between the intrinsic motivation of the EIA and IAF in this context.

The EIA embraces the social spotlight for the sake of the masses. The EIA’s Motivational Value System wants to create a social experience and connect as many people as possible. The IAF on the other hand, connects for fulfillment. The IAF, uses the social spotlight to invite people into their own creative and intimate ecosystems. The IAF does not want to just be experienced, they want to be felt. They desire a connection of hearts in the deepest of places beyond information, theory and even popularity. This is Bowie.

Bowie has created (reinvented) several intimate ecosystems through his career. Examples are Ziggy Stardust, Alladin Sane, the Thin White Duke, and of course, Rocket Man. There were more, but you get the idea. Each of these characters had their own ecosystem, from sound to costume, and they all reflected Bowie in some intimate way.

Bowie was an incredibly emotional complex individual. One look into his eyes and you can tell. He never started wanting to be a famous rock star. He was simply looking for fulfillment which started off as a jazz saxophone player. The IAF tends to channel emotional complexity into creative expression. Bowie found this in writing music. Yet he admits he never really knew if he was writing his characters or they were writing him. Even his creative process screams IAF. The IAF is very intuitive about creativity and expression and will often resort to unorthodox ways to unlock it. This includes completely shifting environments for creative energy which is what Bowie did by moving to America after struggling with addictions and burnout in the UK.

They call Bowie a prophet from the future. It’s not that he was an actual prophet per say. He was simply able to look deeper into human nature and create expressions that spoke to people’s hearts of ultimate fulfillment. His own heart propelled him into futuristic visions. But he was also very haunted. The IAF often feels incredibly misunderstood and questions their own minds because of pain in the heart. This can lead to prolonged bouts of self-gratification and a complete loss of reality. One can certainly tell that Bowie has gone to the edge more than a few times.

In the end, he became known as “Meta-Bowie.” His ecosystem became more self-reflective than ever. He didn’t crave the spotlight like an EIA would. Even though the media wanted to shine that spotlight constantly. Bowie recently surprised his audience with an album. And yet again, invited us into his intimate ecosystem.

Another interesting facet to this story is Bowie’s wife and former supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. Her Instragram posts grieving Bowie’s death reveal her potential MDNA as well. I venture to say that she is a UCD (Unyielding Conviction & Design), or at least was taught to be one by her activist parents. Iman has become an activist herself. This would make sense why Bowie claims he knew from the first moment Iman would be his wife. The emotionally complex IAF is often drawn to the black and white UCD.

RIP David Bowie. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite performances:

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

IAF/UCD Celebrity: Mike Ross (Suits)

Suits week continues! Of course we have to profile Mike Ross–the pot-smoking kid, with a photographic memory, that fakes his way into becoming a lawyer. What’s not to love about Mike and the story setup? But why does Mike do what he does? Let’s look at his MDNA.

Mike Ross – IAF/UCD

Mike is an IAF primary. But he didn’t start as a UCD secondary at the beginning of his character arc (he was probably an SSA secondary in the beginning). Mike became a secondary UCD by hanging out with Harvey Specter (we did his profile yesterday). This is a great example of how social networks and experience impact our secondary MDNA gifts.

IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment)

Mike is an emotional character. He follows his feelings a lot. His photographic memory is an extension of his IAF gift. The IAF sees every detail. He is sensitive and displays great empathy as a lawyer. The IAF is also very loyal to a small group of people and carries their burdens.

One of the biggest traps for an IAF is that they often feel the need to sacrifice themselves for the favor of others. This is what got Mike in trouble in the first place. He was always sacrificing to make his closest friend happy. That’s why he cheated for his buddy in school and ended up taking the fall. Even further, he ended up doing a drug deal that went bad which ended with stumbling upon Harvey Specter.

Just like an IAF, Mike has a hard time articulating his feelings. When he gets insecure, he either stuffs it in, or ends up blurting out all the wrong things. He is very afraid of losing the closest people he loves, which is represented by his relationship with fiancee Rachael.

Make no mistake, despite his emotional complexities (dysfunctions), he is a really good lawyer and decent human being. He makes people want to be on his side and connects with everybody. His passion for excellence sets him up for success. That is, when his feelings don’t betray him. But he’s getting better because he is balancing his secondary MDNA gift.

UCD (Unyielding Conviction & Design)

Because he is Harvey’s associate, Mike has picked up Harvey’s black and white ideologies. As the seasons of the show progressed, Mike became more blunt and unyielding in his convictions. This is a fantastic balance for an IAF. The problem here is that the UCD and IAF gift are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. This can cause quite the internal conflict as we see with the weight of Mike’s “fraud”. He knows it is wrong to fake being a lawyer, yet he passionately wants to be one and help people with the law. He is constantly looking for self fulfillment which is what all IAFs strive for.

If Mike’s character stays true to the IAF/UCD, look for his situation to become even more complex as the seasons progress.

So who is next? Ahh yes! Louis!

Fictional characters also can have MDNA profiles. Typically every great character is based upon somebody in real life, except the persona and core traits are amplified. This makes learning the principles of their MDNA profile much easier and a valuable exercise. Not to mention it can be fun and entertaining.

IAF Celebrity: Donna & Rachel (Suits)

If I had to complain about two characters in Suits it would be Donna and Rachael. Mainly because they have so much unexplored potential (this recently has changed quite a bit in the latest season). Yet, when it comes to MDNA, they are written as pretty much the same characters only to play opposite of Harvey and Mike respectively. Let’s take a look.

Rachael & Donna – IAF/SSA

Rachael and Donna work in support roles, both in the law firm and as show characters. Unfortunately, this is where the “hot assistant” and office romance tropes run a bit stale. But, when it comes to the real world, we can learn a few things about the IAF/SSA.

IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment)

Just as we learned with Mike Ross, the IAF is emotionally complex, sensitive and very compassionate. They are fiercely loyal to those most intimate to them. This means when their friends are offended, the IAF is also offended on their behalf. Donna is this to Harvey and Rachael to Mike. Being loved by IAFs like these fine ladies is absolutely nothing to complain about.

The IAF also operates in intimate ecosystems. They have circular methods of thinking that allow them to see every detail to achieve professional excellence. Donna always exhibits an uncanny intuition to make things happen. And Rachel always knows what people are feeling all around her. Their personal ecosystems empower other people’s ecosystems. This makes them great at their jobs. This is also where the SSA is typically secondary to the IAF gift in support type roles.

SSA (Sacrificial Service & Authority)

There is a big difference between helping people as an IAF and serving people as an SSA. Both sacrifice. But the IAF will help people to make people feel happy and fulfilled. Whereas the SSA serves people simply because it needs to be done. Both Donna and Rachel help Harvey and Mike, but deliver this help through serving others. This is why the SSA is their secondary gift.

Between the two, Donna is much more mature as an SSA secondary. She understands servant leadership and the authority that comes with it. She wants nothing more than to build a platform of success under Harvey. Where Rachel seems much more self-serving in terms of her own feelings and desires.

If I was to really stretch this, I would say that, professionally speaking, each of these ladies has some upcoming issues they need to overcome. In this way they are opposite. Donna needs to get over her constant sacrificing for Harvey. Her heart always gets in the way. She has achieved professional success but the personal fulfillment is lacking because of her pining for Harvey. Rachael on the other hand is finding personal fulfillment in a relationship with Mike. However, she is trying to find herself in terms of professional success, especially in the shadow of her father who is a very accomplished lawyer.

Eventually, I believe both Donna and Rachael will take a major leap into their own character arcs. We can see if they remain true to their MDNA gifts then.

That’s it for Suits week! What did you think?

(We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Ha!)

Fictional characters also can have MDNA profiles. Typically every great character is based upon somebody in real life, except the persona and core traits are amplified. This makes learning the principles of their MDNA profile much easier and a valuable exercise. Not to mention it can be fun and entertaining.

IAF Celebrity: Steve Jobs

I finally had a chance to watch Steve Jobs (2015) the movie starring Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet. Amazing movie with amazing performances regardless of whether or not it was accurate to the real late Steve Jobs. I really don’t have a comment on the historical accuracy of the script, other than of course, I know a lot of it was fictional to be entertaining. I have read commentary from some of the actual individuals portrayed in the movie and overall it seems nobody has a major issue with how Jobs was presented.

That being said, Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for Steve Jobs also wrote The Social Network about Mark Zuckerberg. And in many ways the movie about Facebook was way off. Yet it was entertaining nonetheless. So for the purpose of this article, I am just going to focus on Steve Jobs the movie on its own and what the IAF (Intuitive Alignment & Fulfillment), and everybody else, can learn from the characters.

Just a warning in advance. This is not your basic MDNA profile. We are going a lot deeper here and you will need to be familiar with MDNA in general.

Steve Jobs IAF/UCD Verified

First, the movie does confirm my initial profile of Steve Jobs being IAF/UCD. (I was a little shy of committing to UCD secondary back then but no issues with it now.) It also verifies my belief that Apple as a company’s MDNA Brand Culture is IAF/KWR. For those who are certified or learning MDNA Brand Culture, the reason Apple is IAF/KWR is the merging of Steve Jobs’ and Steve Wozniak’s MDNA as Apple’s two co-founders. (Apple is an intimate ecosystem with the brand tagline “Think Different” which is total IAF/KWR.)

I do highly recommend watching the movie even before you read the rest of this profile.

IAF/UCD is a Potent Yet Very Conflicted Combination

I have met many IAF/UCDs before. And all of them, without exception, have been very, very smart. In their own ways, like Jobs, they were geniuses. This is not to say that you need to be IAF/UCD to be intelligent or everybody with the same Motivational Value System will be smart. It’s actually how the two MDNA gifts work together that make it so intellectually potent. In fact, I recommend that every IAF learn how to operate UCD in some form.

Just remember that the IAF and UCD are on complete opposite ends of the MDNA spectrum. This means individuals with this Motivational Value System will actually experience quite a bit of internal conflict. For example, the IAF is highly relational. The UCD is not and requires no social engagement to be effective. Where the IAF will want to sacrifice for relationships, the UCD would rather cut people out of their lives than deal with ideological tension. You can see the potential problems here.

Some might assume that Steve Jobs is primary UCD because he was considered innovative. I touch on this in my original profile but will reiterate this. The UCD tends to be a research and development machine that has no problem creating something out of nothing–especially being strategic from of chaos. Yet many discount that the IAF is highly innovative as well. This is because they have the ability to envision a state of fulfillment and excellence in anything they are passionate about. On top of which they can make things beautiful in a way the UCD never can. This was Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs did not innovate because of an ideology or conviction. Yes, he did have an ideology and was driven by personal convictions. But Jobs’ ideological convictions were based upon a vision of fulfillment and excellence. He could see into the future of the interactions between humans and technology. He was completely intuitive on how all details could align to create a perfect ecosystem to make people more efficient and put a dent in the universe. He was driven by every detail of design and intimate experience (example: why use a stylus like one finger when you have ten that can interface with the screen?). From the angles on a computer, to the the exit lights being on or off during a product demonstration, he just had a visionary gut feeling about everything.

In many ways, although the IAF and UCD may seem vastly different, the MDNA spectrum can be circular. Meaning that the IAF’s ability to create intimate ecosystems can open the door for innovative paradigms. Nothing expresses this more than the opening of the above trailer where Steve Jobs envisions a beautiful computer empowering people’s lives to which John Sculley responds would be a historical “tectonic shift.”

Yet being IAF is not what made Steve Jobs successful. It is because he was willing to deliver his IAF promise through a UCD personality.

There are many reasons why people develop a UCD secondary. But one of them is emotional trauma. Without getting into it too much here, I have noticed that many IAFs, that have had emotional trauma, use the UCD black and whiteness as a personal protection of sorts. Through the UCD, they can anchor themselves to what is wrong and right and the principles that keep them from being emotionally overwhelmed. I had no idea that Steve Jobs was adopted which could be a potential source of emotional trauma. This is something the movie delves into and gives us an interesting perspective on why Jobs had the personality he did.

Most of the time, the IAF is very personable, warm and friendly. That is, if they are not secondary UCD. Steve Jobs, by all accounts, was not friendly at all. The movie really goes after this. It seemed nobody really liked Jobs at all. Yet you see these flashes where Jobs becomes very sensitive and wants to deeply connect with the people around him. In many instances, after an initial fight, he is willing to sacrifice for people to show the love in his heart. He also had moments where he realized he hurt others which unnerved him greatly–an IAF core trait.

What happens to most IAFs however, because they are emotionally complex and sensitive to people, is they get railroaded and dominated by others. Dare I say they can be easy targets for bullies and victimization. But not Steve. He needed to have control. He “played the orchestra.” That’s where the UCD served him well.

The UCD has an ability to clearly articulate what the IAF is feeling and sensing. This is one way the IAF and UCD, as two different people, can really work together. Job was highly articulate and could make things black and white like no other. This is where the power is. The ability to take an emotionally complex intuitive vision and spell it out for others in strategically blunt terms to follow. Jobs was a leader. He might not have been the most functional leader when it came to employee engagement, but he had no problems leading. This is why his legacy is of innovation and being able to realize visions of design excellence that shaped culture and our behavior as people.

The take away for IAFs here, especially in a leadership environment, is learn to give your IAF gift in a UCD delivery. Stop caring how people feel. Believe in the principles that stay true no matter what the relationships look like. It’s not that you have to throw relationships and emotions away. You just can’t let them control you. And just like Jobs, no matter how much of a jerk you might think you are being, people will still believe in you because they are drawn to the vision in your heart. Trust it. If those around you can’t handle that, they shouldn’t be part of your team anyway.

Emotional Stubbornness

The biggest problem I saw with Jobs in the movie was how emotionally stubborn he was. He wasn’t just stubborn like a UCD. Being a UCD myself I can tell you that, once I have convictions, I am the unstoppable force meets the immovable object level of stubborn. Jobs was emotionally stubborn. This is what the IAF needs to watch out for. And when both the IAF and UCD gifts collide in one person for stubbornness, look out. It gets bad.

This is where every IAF needs others to help them look into a full length mirror and examine the blind spots of character. We all need this. In the movie, John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple was called the “Steve Whisperer.” Joanna Hoffman, acted by Kate Winslet, played that role as well. As an IAF, you need those people that know you to the core and have the permission to present what they see–without emotional bloodshed (the entire movie was washed with emotional blood). But unlike Steve Jobs, you don’t have to make it hard for them. It may sting the pride, but you need it. In the movie, Hoffman in particular went to great lengths to be a loving friend to Jobs, including threatening to quit, so he would listen. Don’t let your emotional stubbornness make people in your life do the same.

There are dozens of other lessons we can learn on how to lead as an IAF from the life of Steve Jobs. But the most important is, we can see what the IAF gift is truly capable of. It doesn’t have to be in technology either. The IAF gift can transform cultures, industries and history. I truly believe, more than any other gift, the IAF really is designed to put a “dent in the universe.”

DLF Celebrity: Dana White (UFC)

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Dana White

DLF (Dominion Leadership & Freedom)

Dana White is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and the President of mixed martial arts (MMA) organization the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The UFC is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world. The UFC was on the brink of bankruptcy when two brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the business with partner Dana White that became president.

White has singlehandedly taken the obscure sport of MMA, referred to earlier as “human cockfighting,” into a UFC brand worth over a billion dollars (it ended up selling for $4 billion). MMA was in fact banned in every state, but one, in the United States. Now, because of White and the popularity of the UFC, MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world and outperforms the boxing industry on all levels.

The DLF profile is an empire builder. And if Dana White’s UFC isn’t an empire—built from literally nothing—we don’t know what is.

To the DLF, everything can be bigger and better—not just in business, but anything they are passionate about. The DLF does not mind being the boss thriving under pressure. And as a leader, the DLF accepts that authority and power are often necessary to reach the goal. This garners much respect, but the DLF can also be vilified by those that do not agree with such methods. Again, based upon countless interviews and anecdotes, this is Dana White.

Loyalty is also one of the most important core values for the DLF. Dana White is no exception here. White is extremely loyal to his employees and expects the same. This is an important trait of the DLF that those working with, and for these ambitious leaders, need to understand.

The UFC as a brand is all about the social experience. However to grow, the company needed scalable systems and a competitive strategy. White’s motivational DNA, as the DLF, provided this in spades. The way the UFC (often accused as being a monopoly) handles competition is another marker of White’s MDNA imprint. Competitors are either acquired, or put right out of business.

Like him or not, MMA needed Dana White and the UFC. In the same way, the world needs DLF individuals to take charge in dominion leadership and freedom.

DLF Celebrity: Elon Musk

Will the man that brought you Paypal make it possible for life on Mars?

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Elon Musk

DLF (Dominion Leadership & Freedom)

Elon Musk is an American business magnate, investor, and inventor. He is currently the CEO and CTO of SpaceX and CEO and Chief Product Architect of Tesla Motors. In March 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company. One year later, Musk developed the person-to-person payment platform and renamed his company PayPal. In 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion.

For those familiar with MDNA profiling, one might believe that Musk is a UCD (Unyielding Conviction & Design) because of his ability to invent and innovate. Or that he might be a CVS (Compelling Value & Stewardship) because of his experience with Paypal in the world of financial transactions. But upon closer examination of his true intrinsic motivations and current business ventures, we have profiled Musk as a DLF.

To the DLF, everything can always be bigger and better. Nothing gets bigger (there is much debate about the better) than life on Mars. His current partner is NASA. His goal is to “make humanity interplanetary” as a way of increasing the odds that human consciousness survives in the universe. In order for that to happen, Musk admits, “There will probably be a lot of people that die.” Musk has to. Just as a lot of people had to die in order to settle the New World, a lot would have to die in order to settle a red planet tens of millions of miles away. This is literally Musk’s personal “dominion mandate.”

This is important to understand about the DLF. The DLF, although often accused of being a tyrant that will exploit people to build an empire, understands the costs—often the human costs—of achieving greatness. The DLF is not afraid of the pain required for breakthrough and is willing to be vindicated by victory against even the heaviest of opposition.

Another key trait of the DLF is the core competence of scalable systems. In order to make anything bigger and better, you need systems. Here is a quote from Musk about getting to Mars that will give you an insight to the DLF mind:

“It would take six months to get to Mars if you go there slowly, with optimal energy cost. “Then it would take eighteen months for the planets to realign. Then it would take six months to get back, though I can see getting the travel time down to three months pretty quickly. Entirely manageable if America has the will.”

The DLF thrives under such pressure through an indomitable will. If there is no pressure, the DLF will go out and find some. Here is a quote that describes the will of the DLF from Justine Musk, his first wife and the mother of his five children:

“Elon is not afraid of breaking things — he will break himself if he has to.”

Musk is a leader. The DLF is not fulfilled unless they are the leader with the authority. Whether it is within an institution like a billion dollar business, or a family, Musk is a DLF through and through. In any partnership or investment he takes control. And if humanity is really going to even fathom life on Mars, without DLF leaders like Musk, this vision will remain nothing more than lofty science fiction.

DLF/CVS Celebrity: Jessica Pearson (Suits)

The fact that Suits has a black woman running a law firm with an iron fist is a testament to the diversity of the show. But it is also a great example of how gender does not matter when it comes to MDNA gifts. Male or female, we all have the potential to achieve professional success and personal fulfillment.

Jessica Pearson – DLF/CVS

I think when the writers created Jessica’s character, they took a stereo-typically male Motivational Value System and put it into a minority female package. If Jessica was a man, she would be dismissed as another cookie-cutter character. Again, this makes the show interesting.

DLF (Dominion Leadership & Freedom)

The DLF has the potential to be an institutional authority and empire builder. They can be as tough as nails when it comes to leadership and power. Jessica admits all the time that she is always focused on power–especially as a minority.

Where Jessica’s character gets a little one dimensional is the DLF’s intrinsic motivation for loyalty. She is absolutely loyal and demands absolute loyalty as well. In one example, she could have disciplined an employee with termination, but chose not to because the infraction was done out of loyalty. Another facet of this the DLF, due to their demand for loyalty, is often betrayed, or at least feels like everything is a betrayal. This is a common theme in Jessica’s character arc.

“I know they said I couldn’t control you. You’re going to learn that I can.”

As a typical DLF, Jessica is also completely consumed with her professional goals. This leave very little room for romantic relationships. She gets a boost in this area through her secondary MDNA gift.

CVS (Compelling Value & Stewardship)

Just like Harvey, Jessica is private and independent. Money is not the main motivation, but it is a great way to keep score. She also has no problems blurring the lines to solve a problem with a creative solution. As a CVS, this is what it means to be relentlessly resourceful.

The show really has not pushed the envelope with Jessica’s character yet, compared to Harvey, Mike or Louis. But she plays a vital role of leadership and establishing the culture of her law firm. She commands the respect of her peers. She is strong. Female leaders should not shy away from embracing the DLF gift in this manner.

We’ll end this week with our two supporting characters Donna and Rachel.

Fictional characters also can have MDNA profiles. Typically every great character is based upon somebody in real life, except the persona and core traits are amplified. This makes learning the principles of their MDNA profile much easier and a valuable exercise. Not to mention it can be fun and entertaining.

CVS Celebrity: Muhammad Yunus (Nobel Peace Prize Winner)

Please note that these are unofficial profiles only and have not been verified. Description is only based upon public information and may represent either primary or secondary MDNA profiles. This profile is intended for educational purposes only to demonstrate the possibilities of MDNA for those that have been personally assessed.

Muhammad Yunus

CVS (Compelling Value & Stewardship)

Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi banker, economist and founder of the Grameen Bank. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen Bank received the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts through microcredit to create economic and social development from below”. Yunus has received several other national and international honours including the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal in 2010. He is author of the books Banker to the Poor and Creating a World without Poverty.

The idea for the Grameen Bank started with a mere $27 loan to 42 people. During the famine of 1974, Yunus was the head of the economics department at Chittagong University.  He felt silly teaching elegant economic theories while people were dying around him. He discovered that local villagers were in a vicious cycle of poverty because of loan sharks. So Yunus decided to do something about it personally. That first loan would be the spark for an inspiring movement that has spread around the world.

We have profiled Muhammad Yunus as a CVS for his revolutionary approach and vision to eliminate poverty worldwide. The most common core competence of the CVS is to provide valued access. This is precisely what Yunus has done through compelling value and stewardship.

The CVS is also extremely versatile and competent in startup situations. As much as Yunus used microcredit as a tool, he also saw that the poor lacked access to so many other valued services that we take for granted. His solution is to start social businesses. There are many examples of this valued access that Yunus has initiated.

First, there is Grameen Kalyan, or Grameen Health Care, which has over 50 clinics in rural Bangladesh and provides insurance for a family of seven for $1 a month. Grameen Green Children Eye-Care Hospitals, provides cataract surgery and general eye care. Grameen Danone sells fortified yogurt in the hopes that kids will get two units a week in order to get the basic intake of vitamins and minerals that are missing in their diets. Other ventures include a fishery and livestock company. The fisheries have greatly improved the yields of their ponds. And they have a seed company and encourage people to plant and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to have a balanced diet.

Today, Yunus is working on providing everybody valued access to quality education. In 2012, he joined the Africa Progress Panel to develop strategies for equitable and sustainable development through the Global Partnership for Education. (This, along with his past as an educator, indicates KWR [Knowledgeable Wisdom & Responsibility] as his very possible secondary MDNA Profile.)

It may surprise many that in all of Yunus’ endeavors, he doesn’t own a share of his companies. But as a CVS, that is not surprising at all. The CVS tends to be generous without requiring recognition while being highly focused upon sustainable legacy. In this way, Yunus is doing his work for the benefit of the community and not for personal gain.