We build people for the deep.
The way you see, sense, move and speak
to be relevant in the red.
Are we building something brilliant or just different? Again.
Are we just chasing ‘speed and scale’ at the first thing that sort of worked?
We’re sitting on a ton of data. I’m not exactly sure yet what’s noise and what’s not.
Are we backing off this idea because the idea is bad or because it can’t deliver by Q1?
On the table—this isn’t feeling like a merger to people outside this room. It feels like a takeover. And if we don’t deal with it now, it will bite us later.
The red isn’t a dip or a detour.
It’s the job.
We rewire people for the job description.
(X)
is a completely different trip.
This curve is not a diagram.
It’s life. Disruption. Mergers.
Wicked problems. Pandora’s box.
Competence on the dotted line isn’t enough.
Does X mark the spot?
Your first session—we call it a crucible—is a controlled burn to simulate the curve. No scripts, no role plays.
Just experiments, x-rays, film, dialogue. See how your team holds, adapts and leads through it. 3hr. Live.
X is a test. Are you equipped?
3K
people listed their
five strongest traits at work.
Curiosity didn’t crack the top ten.
Unconventional fell even lower.
Scraping bottom? A little rebellious.
Hmmmm. Not good.
87%
of execs admit the company they run
lives below the dotted line.
And the top five traits people listed?
Energetic, collaborative,
detail-oriented, optimistic, organized.
Decent for dotted lines.
Not for jagged ones.
Only a different kind of human
can breathe below the line.*
When the work takes everything, not just energy.
Curiosity in your blood
to unbolt what everyone thinks they know.
Humanity in your bones
to sense the need data can’t detect
The nerve to flip the script
when 10X talk is more hype than innovation.
Not just traits or personality.
Not brains, vibes, talent, EQ or GQ.
Forces.
That move a room and control the curve.
That’s gravity.
-
In physics, gravity pulls by mass.
In us, gravity pulls by intensity.
The data you chase before the slides get pretty.
The truth you dig for in the silence you can’t not break.
The drive to reinvent the house, not rearrange the furniture. The instinct to subtract your ego, not flex your 131 IQ.
That’s gravity.
It’s built like elements build air, bones and steel.
Bonded, they’re a force.
Human nature has its own periodic table. Curiosity, veracity, nerve. Not personality quirks. Powers.
Bonded, they’re a force.
At low intensity they’re only half alive. So is the work.
* Our work is based on 21K hrs. of research, 8K surveys, 200 interviews. We went deep to build for the deep.
Click to begin.
So, what exactly is in your
way?
The surface doesn’t always show the problem. These are three of the deepest.
Pick your moment.
These primer docs are heat maps.
The mini-diagnostics are a lens.
THE WILD
You thought the project was a straight shot. It’s not. That’s good. And the hard part.
-
Are you in The Wild? Answer fast. First instinct.
1. When the room starts feeling off, you:
A. Name it out loud even if you don’t have the fix.
B. Hold it quietly. Let the execs steer.
C. Push the work forward. Don’t risk momentum.
D. Say nothing. You’ll process it later (if ever).
2. You were confident in the plan. Now you're not sure it fits. The move?
A. Pause and realign, even if it slows things down.
B. Shift slightly. Reframe the plan, not the purpose.
C. Tweak it just enough to keep going.
D. Keep going. Changing course this late looks weak.
3. When decisions feel heavier, the pressure mounting, your instinct is to:
A. Get the right people in a room and challenge the assumptions.
B. Revisit the data, tighten the rationale, find proof.
C. Assume someone else is already on it.
D. Stick to the steps. Don’t break what’s working.
4. How often do you say, “This doesn’t feel true anymore”?
A. Regularly. That’s how we stay real.
B. Rarely. I think it, but I don’t say it.
C. Never. I’m here to execute, not editorialize.
D. I’ve thought it, but saying it feels like a threat.
5. How often do you say, “Something’s not quite right here.”?
A. Regularly. That’s how we stay real.
B. Rarely. I think it, but I don’t say it.
C. Never. I’m here to execute, not editorialize.
D. I’ve thought it, but saying it feels like a threat.
6. In your gut, what’s more dangerous right now?
A. Staying the course with a plan that’s outdated.
B. Changing course and losing credibility.
C. Raising concerns that slow things down.
D. Being wrong in public.
THE NOISE
You’re mid-sprint, mid-rebrand, mid-whatever. The work is loud. The signal’s lost.
-
This isn’t whether your team is smart. It’s how well you hear what matters. Answer fast.
1. Your team is busy—full-on sprint mode. What’s the signal?
A. Everyone can name the “one thing” we’re driving toward.
B. There’s general alignment, but the “why” keeps changing.
C. Depends who you ask.
D. No one’s stopped long enough to check.
2. The last few major decisions felt:
A. Focused and rooted in real insight.
B. Sharp in the moment but fuzzy in retrospect.
C. Fine, but mostly reactive.
D. Fast, noisy, and forgettable.
3. What gets the most airtime in meetings?
A. The core problem we’re trying to solve.
B. The roadmap and status updates.
C. Smart ideas with no place to land.
D. Stuff that makes us look productive.
4. What happens when someone says, “This isn’t it yet”?
A. The room leans in. We work it.
B. There’s a pause, but we mostly move on.
C. That person gets labeled difficult.
D. No one says that here.
5. The work is technically right. But it’s not landing. What’s the next move?
A. Stop. Get clear. Ask the harder question.
B. Polish it until it feels better.
C. Push it out anyway. The deadline’s real.
D. Cross fingers and say it’s “MVP.”
THE MERGE
You can merge a co. and divide a culture. Merge everything or watch it unravel.
-
Merging or joining? Answer honestly. Don’t “align” your way through it.
1. Whose playbook are you using?
A. We’re blending both orgs intentionally.
B. We’re defaulting to the dominant side.
C. Depends on the room.
D. No one knows anymore.
2. When tension shows up in a meeting, what happens?
A. It sparks productive conversation.
B. It gets avoided and parked.
C. One voice usually wins.
D. Everyone pretends they’re aligned.
3. What do people say privately that they don’t say in the room?
A. Not much—we say the hard stuff out loud.
B. “This doesn’t feel like us anymore.”
C. “This is all just theater.”
D. “We’ll go along with it…for now.”
4. What’s your emotional power source right now?
A. Curiosity
B. Caution
C. Legacy pride.
D. Fear of being seen as resistant.
5. When someone challenges the direction, the vibe is:
A. Engaged
B. Defensive
C. Dismissive
D. Confused
6. If you asked your team who they’re becoming through this merger, would they say:
A. Something new.
B. A diluted version of the old.
C. I don’t know anymore.
D. I haven’t asked them.
