People and organizations profit from a culture that encourages exploration, play, inspiration, and connection!
The EPIC Model
The EPIC Model, taken from my book “What You Can Learn from Your Teenager: Lessons in Parenting and Personal Growth” is a natural and sustainable youth inspired framework that is open to new ideas and different approaches, recognizes existing and potential opportunities, and shows courage to take action.
I have observed over twenty years working with young people that human development is not about how good of a student you are. It isn’t about how well you can take a test or complete an assignment. Personal development is an open approach to life. This open-minded attitude is optimized in youth. Look no further for a proven time tested model of development.
The EPIC Model supports an agile culture
What do young people do? They grow. They develop. This is their biological task. Teens like to keep it uncomplicated. Simplicity encourages flexibility, agility, and innovation. Adults create complex, closed, and rigid systems and then wonder why motivation and innovation are stagnant in organizations. The EPIC Model is a simple model easily adaptable by any individual or organization. This fundamental framework optimizes the ability to remain in tune and able to creatively respond to changing markets and client needs. How can organizations ensure an agile culture? They can mimic what I have labeled the EPIC Model.
Explore
Explore the current situation, what is desired, and the gap between both. Explore needs, values, and ways to close the gap.
Benefits: Encouraging an explorative culture reinforces a natural tendency to learn about oneself and about the company’s purpose and how an employee can better service his or her role and function.
Play
Play with ideas in line with your mission and core values. Play with new skills and techniques to achieve goals and resolve conflict.
Benefits: Encouraging a play culture permits individuals to test boundaries and skillsets. Individuals, teams, and companies benefit from the lessons learned.
Inspire
Inspire your employees to seek out and utilize resources that stimulate novelty. Inspire each other to think and see anew.
Benefits: An inspired workforce goes above and beyond completing a task. Inspired work makes it more memorable and gratifying. People seek to inspire and be inspired. An enthusiastic work environment is highly contagious.
Connect
Connect with your interests and abilities. Connect collectively through interactions that promote self and group discovery.
Benefits: All behavior is geared towards connecting with one’s talents and abilities and to find one’s place with others. An interconnected workforce is more functional, adaptable, collaborative, and efficient. Companies connected with their employees have a higher retention rate.