Human Design at Work: Your Next Competitive Advantage

In an increasingly competitive global work environment, the modern workplace asks more of its workforce than credentials, specialization, or even the willingness to work hard. In order to become robust and resilient and grow in a sustainable manner, the modern organization must be healthy from within -- starting with its employees.Companies have long used personality frameworks like MBTI or DiSC to assess the strengths and weaknesses of its employees to aid in productivity, interpersonal dynamics, and morale. The Human Design system builds on that and then adds an energetic component (and a good dose of woo).

Human Design isn’t a personality framework exactly; rather, it provides us with our energetic blueprint -- a sort of user manual detailing the way we are designed to best operate in the world. 

The system combines the mystical -- Astrology, the Chakra system, the I Ching, and the Kabbalah -- with the scientific, such as the study of genetics and quantum physics.An individual’s Human Design type is determined using one’s date, time, and place of birth. In a work environment, knowing, understanding, and applying our unique design can support us in making better decisions. (Spoiler alert: depending on your design and decision making authority, you might be best advised to wait an entire lunar cycle to give a definitive answer regarding important matters; a far cry from the two hours we have come to view as a standard email reply time).This system provides those willing to experiment with a new language of understanding towards themselves and others. When applied and integrated in an organizational context, Human Design has the potential to inform and transform a new paradigm of what business can look like. Each type is meant to interact differently in the workplace and brings a specific set of skills to the proverbial meeting table that can be leveraged in business for growth and success.Further, the practical application of our auric mechanics enables us to not just effectively manage ourselves, but also to become more effective and compassionate leaders and teammates with a deep understanding of how to best communicate with and support different types within the company.Here is a breakdown of the different types of Human Design at work:

Manifestors --

The only type designed to initiate, Manifestors are our revolutionaries, our bold initiators, our visionaries. The organization is served best when Manifestors are free and empowered to pursue their groundbreaking ideas on their own terms, even though the rest of the team might not yet fully understand them. Think of Manis as a later-season Daenerys Targaryen (minus that little snafu in King’s Landing). When they are met with resistance and their ideas are stifled… well, let’s just say, it ain’t pretty. Support your Mani colleague, employee, or client by encouraging them and helping them make their vision into a reality. (And by never telling them what to do.)

Generators & Manifesting Generators --

Making up about 70% of the population, Generators and Manifesting Generators are our builders. With their consistent access to drive and energy, these types are here to create, build, and generate. However, even these real life Energizer bunnies will lose their sparkle when they engage in work that does not feel meaningful for them. Giving them permission to do what lights them up is key and will amplify their energy rather than drain it, making them the powerhouses of any organization or venture.Manifesting Generators in particular may change their mind frequently about their commitments, which, in a culture that celebrates stick-to-itiveness and follow-through can often be viewed as a weakness to be remedied. As with all types, they can best be supported by understanding that this is a quality inherent to their design and by letting them go after their broad spectrum of passions, which, in turn allows them to generate life force for the entire organizational ecosystem to benefit from.

Projectors --

Projectors lack the consistent access to energy and thus are not here for “the grind.” Instead, their innate gift lies in understanding systems and in seeing the other deeply, and they truly shine when they get to guide others (IF they are asked to do so).Many Projectors have been conditioned to believe that in order to succeed professionally, they need to adopt the qualities of a Generator or Manifesting Generator. In order for them to thrive in alignment with their design, not despite of it, a large chunk of a Projector’s work will revolve around unlearning these unhelpful narratives about having to partake in hustle culture to make it. Once they do, they are free to do business the way they are designed to, and that will look radically different from anything we have seen so far.In order to understand and support them, think of your Projector colleague, teammate, or manager like Hermione in Harry Potter. Reasonable, clear-headed, and full of knowledge (which, in her later years would translate to wisdom), Ms. Granger loves sharing her knowledge and dispensing advice (“It’s LeviOsa, guys, not LeviosaR!”) However, Projectors may come across as know-it-alls when they share their input unsolicitedly, thus, in order for their contributions to be received, it’s imperative for the Projector to be invited to share. Watch them light up as you recognize their talents and ask for their often invaluable words of wisdom.

Reflectors --

Reflectors are the real 1%. They are here to be our mirrors, reflecting back the general health, stability, and well-being of the organization. Because they are highly susceptible to the environment they find themselves in, Reflectors thrive when they are in supportive, nourishing surroundings. The best way to support your Reflector co-worker, employee, or superior is to take their feedback -- their mirroring -- seriously as it holds important information for the good of the entire business ecosystem. Your Reflector pal will do well when the environment they are in is deeply well, too.Similar to an astrological natal chart, the Human Design chart goes deep and way beyond type. Diving into the system offers guidance on how to use our energetics in professional contexts and tangible disciplines such as business development, sales, marketing, communications, and beyond. So is it worth a deep dive? Well, an organization that understands, encourages, and fosters the unique talents of its workforce at a micro level may just have tapped into a slight edge at a macro level. Take it from a Hermione.Nadia Gabrielle works with all Human Design types, using a variety of energetic and strategic tools to enhance their lives and careers according to their energetic blueprints. Being a Projector herself, she has created a space and a newsletter for Projectors to chill, have a laugh, and, most importantly, feel understood. She can be invited (…get it?) at nadiagabrielle.com and at @_nadiagabrielle on the ‘gram.