I try not to judge. I look for data. In my work, that mindset keeps me calm and focused on what actually moves people and organizations. I’m writing this because two recent and memorable projects reminded me why I chose co-creation over prescriptions, growth over presentation, and legacy over ego.
A project in Asia that still sends ripples
Years ago, I worked across China and India with executive teams who brought more than their expertise; they brought their hearts. In India, especially, leaders cared deeply about people and wanted to be a force for good while still delivering performance. That combination mattered. It wasn’t just about drafting a sharp strategy; it was about anchoring it in identity and purpose so it could live in their culture.
The most telling data point came later. Six or seven years after those sessions, I still receive occasional emails about the impact the work had on them and the people they’ve mentored since. Those notes speak about ownership, teaching others, and sustaining practices well beyond the original project. That’s the kind of evidence I look for: not a slick slide or a single KPI, but a ripple that continues without me in the room.
When I help teams connect strategy to culture and performance, I’m thinking about the people who will join that company five or ten years from now. I want them to benefit from decisions made today. That’s where the idea I call the 3G legacy comes in.
The 3G legacy: a practice I learned in China
In China, I kept hearing a phrase: “for the kids of my kids of my kids.” The point was simple and profound. If I act today, how will it impact the third generation down the line? When I apply that lens, my ego shrinks. Titles, promotions, and image lose their grip. The question becomes: will this choice still look wise when my grandchildren’s grandchildren experience its effects?
That shift helps me keep my own priorities straight. It also resonates strongly with family-owned and mission-driven organizations, and with leaders facing today’s very real challenges around mental well-being and belonging. Many people want work to mean more than short-term numbers. The 3G lens gives a clear, practical test for meaning.
Co-creating an institute’s future in three months
This year I partnered with Iceland’s Meteorological Office, a public institution with outsized responsibilities: monitoring volcanoes, earthquakes, and more. The case is public, and I’ll be sharing it at a conference, but here’s the short version.
In about three months, I assisted the office in co-creating its strategy and cascading it across teams. Roughly 50 people got involved as facilitators. I coached them, supported the first iterations, and then stepped back. They took it from there and made it their own.
Why did it work? Because it was a partnership from the beginning. I involved the right people early, clarified scope with them, not for them, and designed the process so participation wasn’t symbolic. People felt important to the work, not adjacent to it. That reinforced belonging and surfaced real know-how from the frontline. And there was another element I now consider non-negotiable: growth-through-participation. While solving real problems for the office, participants learned how to do this work themselves. Feedback afterward consistently pointed to professional growth; new tools, new confidence, and a stronger network inside the organization.
My role is closer to a side driver than a chauffeur. I help build the system, share the maps, drive a short stretch if needed, and then hand over the wheel. Early in my career, I tried to run the whole journey. Handovers were bumpy and adoption stalled. Now I design for enablement and autonomy from day one, no proprietary lock-ins, no gatekeeping. The goal is sustainable capability, not dependence on me.
Why this approach matters now
I see a clear pattern across places and sectors. Leaders who care beyond the revenue line, especially in family-owned businesses and public-impact institutions;
Leaders who want employees to feel pride in how work gets done, not just in what gets delivered. They want people to grow while they contribute.
That’s not a “nice to have.” It’s a lever for strategy execution.
When people co-create the future, they adopt it faster and steward it better. When they learn by doing, they stay engaged and improve the system long after the consultants leave. And when decisions are filtered through a three-generation lens, the work aligns with a deeper purpose that supports mental well-being and reduces the noise of vanity metrics.
What I’ve changed in my own practice
I now enter every engagement with three commitments:
Data-grounded calm: observe first, decide second. I look for evidence in participation levels, adoption rates, and what people do when no one is looking, like those emails years later.
Co-creative partnership: involve the right people early, design open processes, and keep the doors open to frontline voices.
Enablement with a 3G horizon: transfer tools and methods, not just outputs. If the approach cannot be taught, adapted, and owned locally, it isn’t finished.
I also give clients a practical toolkit: how to create a strategy, how to deploy it, and how to work on culture and performance without losing sight of the strategy itself. That combination increases the odds that the work holds, spreads, and evolves.
A simple test for your next initiative
Before you launch your next transformation, ask three questions:
Who needs to co-create this with me from the start?
How will people grow professionally by participating?
Will this decision still serve the kids of my kids of my kids?
If those answers are clear and honest, you’re likely building something that outlasts your tenure, and mine. If they’re not, the best time to redesign the approach is now.
If this resonates and you’re navigating strategy, culture, or performance challenges, reach out. I’m always happy to explore how to build something your future employees will thank you for, and that you’ll be proud to hand over.
