About the Venn Leader

The concept for VennLeader.com was originally conceived in 2004 during a ‘rough patch’ in my life when I was struggling to find a way of balancing all of the competing commitments I was dealing with. 

I was attempting to explain to a friend the struggle I was facing

I drew three circles in separate corners of a sheet of paper and wrote; Family, Work, and Other Stuff inside of each of these three distinct circles.  Then explained how I feel like I have to be a different person for each of these areas of my life.  Over the last several years, as I discuss this with other people, I have learned that I am not alone in this experience.  Then I drew a heart in the center…  I explained that, “I am only one person and I feel like if I am going to be successful at anyone of these I can’t put myself completely into any of them.”  Most importantly I felt as though, if I fail to passionately commit to anything I stand the chance of losing everything…

So I turned the page and tried again… 

This time I drew a Venn Diagram.  With the same circles as before but they intersected over the heart I had drawn.  Years later, the heart has become a triangle to represent the pyramid of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  I have also renamed the domains; Intimate, Social, and Occupational.   You can learn more about the Venn leader Model here.

How do I get here? Is this even possible? 

It has been more than 10 years since I first tried to explain this concept and it has evolved and grown into the Venn Leader model.  I have spent more than a decade refining and applying this model.  Through trial and error; failure and success I have learned that being a Venn Leader is not only possible but grounded in science – biological and social.  From Erik Erikson’s work on psychosocial development that was inspired by Sigmund and Anna Freud’s psychosexual theories to modern work by Daniel Goleman and others on Emotional Intelligence – the Venn Leader model makes sense.  Now, I am challenging other leaders to live up to the challenge of being a,, “Venn Leader”