Canadian born, now living in Italy, Alessandro has been involved in personal growth since 1987, and made it his full-time profession for the past 22 years. He trained and coached people at a personal and professional level, helping them draw out more of their human potential, and at the same time having them become more aware of the laws, forces and dynamics that shape our reality. It's a specific study topic related to Systemic Intelligence which, besides working on self-improvement, allows to interact more effectively with our various environments. He wrote and published two books (in Italian) which roughly translate in "The 5 Principles of Corporate Success" and "Your Money And Your Life".
Alessandro Carli, Systemic Life and Business Coach
In your profile, you wrote that you're Canadian, and you then moved to Italy. How long ago was that and how did it work for you?
I moved to Italy from Montreal in 1979. I was barely 20, then, but it wasn't a big shock for me. We used to speak Italian back home, and most of my relatives were in Italy, anyway, including my mother. My parents were divorced, so I would often spend my summer vacations with her. In 1979, however, I decided to stay for sentimental reasons. I didn't plan to actually move and get myself a life here, but that's how things eventually turned out.
I was employed in two companies until 1987… but then something happened, in December of that year, that turned my life over. A friend of mine suggested that I attend a 5-day leadership seminar, and I eventually decided to go, after some hesitation. Actually, it was a very powerful personal growth experience, in a time when the term "personal growth" meant nothing to most people… especially in Italy: that's why the organizers referred to this seminar as a Leadership class, which was attended by people from all over the world.
What an experience that was! Suffice it to say that when the class finished, as I was in absolute awe of the team of trainers who led the seminar, I remember wanting only one thing: to be one of them. I made it, eventually, and I worked with this organization for 12 years, dealing with hundreds of people coming from everywhere and from all walks of life. It was an authentic school of life that I'm proud to have been a part of.
In 2002, I started my own training and coaching business which is still operating to this date, with many ups and downs, but still very much alive and kicking after more than 20 years: a rarity for this type of business in Italy.
You define yourself as a Systemic Coach who works with a so-called Systemic Intelligence. What is that about?
To understand Systemic Intelligence, and what it can do for us, we must start from our basic, conventional intelligence, the one that we humans have been using since the dawn of history, and even today for about 90% of the time. This intelligence enables us to interact with our reality in a way that is most beneficial for us, and which made us able to adapt the world to our needs. It's basically a "how-to" type of intelligence, and most coaching programs are strongly goal-oriented as a result. Nothing wrong with that, of course, because we do ultimately need to achieve the goals that we believe will improve our lives. The question, however, is: will our basic, primary intelligence alone be up to the job in the long term today, and even more so tomorrow?
Although Daniel Goleman officially introduced the term "Emotional Intelligence", and packaged this new level of intelligence in a way that it would be easier for most people to understand, access, and use their powerful emotional resources, the importance, and potential of our emotional apparatus was already quite known. A how-to-based intelligence was okay, but hardly enough in a context where relationships and exchanges between people and with the world, in general, were growing more intense by the day. In an ever stronger competitive reality like the one we've been living for the past 50-60 years, the effectiveness of short or medium-term results would become more and more difficult to achieve, let alone long-term ones.
Then, something huge happened about 30 years ago: a much more pervasive globalization, the internet, and a way more intense worldwide traveling. These three events together made the world a much, much smaller place, where interactions between people, businesses, countries, etc. – which are all natural systems – have grown and intensified beyond imagination. Because our reality consists of only laws, forces, and dynamics, we can no longer afford to ignore how they work and impact our existence, as individuals, families, businesses, or communities. Only a deeper and more comprehensive awareness of how our reality functions will enable us to deal with it effectively. That's what Systemic Intelligence can help us achieve.
This is interesting, but it's still not clear how all this can help a person live a better life, thrive with his business, have better health, or whatever.
As I said, all of reality consists of only laws, forces, and dynamics working in unison, and everything we perceive about this reality is but the physical-material manifestation of what goes on at the level of those three elements, and it makes no difference whether we talk about an atom or the entire Universe.
Relationships, well-being, health, businesses, personal and/or professional growth, etc., are aspects of our life that are subject to the same dynamics that all natural systems follow. If the way we approach any realm of life is aligned with the basic laws of Nature, systems will respond positively to our actions, emotions, and even intentions… or negatively, if we're misaligned. Love, i.e. the intention to benefit all forms of existence, from the lowest to the highest, is the Force that holds all of Nature together, and when our actions, feelings, and thoughts are guided by this Force, whatever we're involved in will eventually turn out right. Why "eventually"? It's impossible to predict when the consequences of our behaviors will manifest. Let's make no mistake, though: they always manifest, one way or another.
As a coach, I must be able to provide my Client with the most effective strategies to achieve the material, emotional, mental, and even spiritual outcomes that he/she seeks. I'm sure you'll agree, however, that the effort, the commitment, and the conviction that he/she will put in their work will be far stronger if along with knowing what has to be done, and how, he/she also knows why it will function. Systemic Intelligence provides this "why", and I believe this is the true added value of my method, the difference I believe I can make for the people I coach and train.
It's so different from what we're used to hearing that it all sounds somewhat philosophical. So, to make things more down-to-earth, what would you say are the three most important aspects of Systemic Intelligence that people can apply in their everyday life?
I'm sure that "philosophical" is the term used by most people stuck in their usual way of thinking and doing things when they first heard of Emotional Intelligence. Yet, the most brilliant managers and leaders today use this newer Intelligence a lot more than their conventional one. So, I actually take "philosophical" as a compliment when used to describe my work.
Now, if I would have to pick three aspects that people should start considering adopting in their relationships with others and various situations, I would definitely choose the following…
First, focus on the process, not the result. I'm sure most people are aware that outcomes are the direct consequence of an ongoing process, and yet they keep focusing on the result. It's very difficult to change this attitude because it's an instinctive behavior of our mind that if what happens is not what we expect or want it to be, we freak out. Control is paramount for all of us, and it should be, but we must learn to use indirect control instead of trying to force things to happen (direct control). Indirect control is about knowing how natural systems work, and applying this knowledge to the process; you then step back and just wait for things to happen. It's a question of faith, actually, because this way things get usually worse before they get better. Ultimately, however, systems never fail us.
Second, avoid any judgment. For people to think they have control, they need to "feel" that they're aware of what's going on around them, and because they're usually not, they need to label things as good or bad, right or wrong, and so on in order to adopt a standard way of dealing with situations. Conventional intelligence tends to nurture a "the enemy is out there" paranoic-like syndrome; Emotional intelligence assumes that "the enemy is within", which is about identifying what we should correct and improve about us; Systemic intelligence works from a state of "there are no enemies" because, as I said, all that exists are just laws, forces and dynamics, and they're there for us to learn how to use them profitably.
Third, practice true altruism. All natural systems, including us, are a part of Nature, which should not be confused with plants, animals, the climate, and what have you. Of course, they too are natural systems, but when we talk about Nature, we refer to our Reality as a whole, and as I said earlier about love, this Reality has only one purpose: to provide all living beings with what they need, in abundance. As Tony Robbins rightfully says, Man's ultimate purpose is to Grow and Contribute. If we understand what this truly means and how it's done, there's no limit to the Abundance we can produce.
Wonderful! So, where are you going from here?
I'm committed to disseminating the concept of systems dynamics applied to personal and professional growth as much as possible. It should be clear that Systemic Intelligence is not “better” than Emotional or Conventional Intelligence, as that would be an absurd and totally non-systemic statement: it simply perfects the entire system, just like the different structures that our brain is made of as a result of hundreds of years of evolution, all work together in perfect unison.
I firmly believe, however, that it can strongly contribute to helping people become more aware of their interactions with their various environments, and therefore significantly increase their effectiveness overall.
If you would like to know more about Systemic Intelligence, and what it can do for you, check out my website at www.alessandrocarli.it/en or send me an inquiry through my website, or email me here.
