Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

DLF Celebrity: Dana White (UFC)

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.

Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

DLF Celebrity: Elon Musk

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.

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.

Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

DLF/CVS Celebrity: Jessica Pearson (Suits)

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.

Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

KWR/DLF Celebrity: Louis Litt (Suits)

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.

Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17 Liz Zurek Beaudry 8/8/17

CVS/DLF Celebrity: Jeff Bezos (Amazon Brand Culture)

Bezos is a DLF through and through. In 2013, a book entitled The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone revealed what his employees have known for years. On one hand, Bezos is compassionate, charming and a humorous person in public. On the other, he is an abrasive leader that dominates with fear and demand respect. He is known to be driven, bold, and caring nothing for consensus and civility. He can explode into what some employees call “nutters.” His standards are exacting and his rebukes devastating. And the way Bezos makes deals or acquires other companies is nothing short of complete domination with absolute refusal to lose in any way.

We’re not here to bash anybody’s character. Nobody can argue the success of Amazon. These are just the facts and reveal the positive and negative traits of the DLF gift. For every strength that comes from this type of Motivational Value System, there can be a weakness.

The DLF has no issues wielding institutional authority. Here are some choice Bezos quotes as reported by the author Brad Stone:

“Are you lazy or just incompetent?”
“I’m sorry, did I take my stupid pills today?”
“Do I need to go down and get the certificate that says I’m CEO of the company to get you to stop challenging me on this?”

As a DLF, Bezos imprints his intrinsic motivations and social DNA into the work culture. Amazon is renowned for being a confrontational and competitive place to work. In fact Amazon’s 14 leadership principles demand it. Here is an excerpt:

“Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit: Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.”

Some thrive working at Amazon. Other former employees would never go back. Whether you agree or disagree with his approach, the truth is, in order to manage a $300 billion plus organization with over 150,000 employees, a DLF approach is essential. This brings us to Amazon the company itself.

Amazon Brand Culture: Scalable Systems through Valued Access

When a DLF like Bezos founds a company, it is imprinted with the Brand Culture of “Scalable Systems.” This is the “promise” of the brand and basically means the company wants to be bigger and better using systems to grow. Everything in Amazon, from marketing to warehousing and now delivery by drones, is about systems to help the brand scale. While Amazon started with books, many don’t see the full scale of its enterprise. For example, Amazon Web Services handles the computer infrastructure of thousands of technology companies, universities, and government agencies. There’s also TV and tablets just to name a few more.

Amazon also has the secondary Brand Culture of “Valued Access.” This is the “personality” of the brand that makes value as accessible as possible to all customers. The Valued Access Brand Culture is imprinted by a CVS (Compelling Value & Stewardship). If it is the secondary of the company, then it is typically also the founder’s secondary. But all secondary Brand Cultures can be changed over time by new leadership and market dynamics. In this case, we do believe that Jeff Bezos is a DLF/CVS.

To summarize, Jeff Bezos, as a DLF/CVS, imprinted the Brand Culture of Scalable Systems through Valued Access. Case in point, here is Amazon’s vision statement which is evidence of the Brand Culture:

Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.

That’s the official vision that has shaped Amazon into becoming the Everything Store. But in simpler terms, according to Bezos, “You won’t find a cheaper, friendlier place to get everything you need than Amazon.” There is your DLF/CVS in a nutter nutshell. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

In the end, there is a lot every DLF and CVS that wants to build a successful company can learn from Jeff Bezos and Amazon’s Brand Culture. You don’t have to be an online retailer either. Who knows, maybe someone armed with this MDNA will provide some stiff competition.

Read the full article on Jeff Bezos and the book here (it’s a great read) >