The ALCEMIS name builds on the values of authenticity, leadership, creativity, risk-taking, value and innovation. ALCEMIS is an acronym for Authentic Leaders Creating & Executing Meaningful Innovative Solutions. There is also a play on “alchemist” and “alchemy” because they reflect change and transformation.
Do you know the story of alchemy, the one where people tried to turn lead into gold? It seems impossible, doesn’t it? Yet people seem drawn to the possibilities of the alchemical metaphor – drawn to the possibility of turning something basic into something valuable. At ALCEMIS, we help our clients transform their challenges (the “lead”) into creative and innovative solutions that help them grow (the “gold”). We help them transform their current competencies (the “lead”) into competencies for sustainable growth (the “gold”).
Did you also know that alchemy refers to the transformation of the soul? Organizations are like human beings. They pulse with a life force fed by the energy of its leaders, employees, customers, suppliers, competitors and external forces. This energy, based on beliefs, assumptions, fears and behaviors (culture), can hold organizations back from – or provide impetus for – sustainable growth. If we agree that the organization is like a human being and if we agree that humans have souls, might culture represent the soul of the organization? If so, we can begin to understand the difficulties with implementing change. While transformation of the soul takes work, it is possible, as is change. At ALCEMIS, we bring the metaphor of soul transformation to the work we do around change, because when you work to implement a change, you are often faced with a shift in culture. Sometimes that shift is small. Sometimes it requires a transformation.
More about ALCEMIS…
Mission: ALCEMIS is a catalyst for the strategic changes and purposeful innovation needed for clients who want to build authentically lived brands that deliver sustainable growth – clients who want to benefit people, planet and prosperity.
BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal): We live in an open systems world where people are happy, healthy and thriving.
Values
- Commitment to Excellence – being passionate about providing the best solutions for clients to achieve their objectives
- Authenticity – being honest, genuine and respectful; acting with integrity; seeking first to understand and then to be understood; walking our talk
- Innovation – Creativity x Risk-Taking x Value
- Creativity – accessing curiosity to imagine what is possible; creating, sharing and developing ideas; deferring judgment; asking “Why not?” “How might we…?” and “What if…?”
- Risk Taking – being “beyond the box;” challenging oneself and others to go beyond what is “safe”; surrounding oneself with broad experiences; seeking and being open to opportunity; acting in the face of adversity
- Value – designing solutions for mutual benefit of interested stakeholders
- Open Systems – systems that are adaptive, failure tolerant, holistic, purpose-driven, process focused, integrative, inquisitive and learn from both success and failures, focus on possibilities and potential and accept that people have free will / personal choice
- Continuous Learning – applying new knowledge to how one thinks and acts; reflecting upon experiences to gain insights and integrating those insights to act in new ways
- Fun – integrating play and enjoyment into our work and personal lives