Background

Most 4F designers and builders come from Business Administration (BA) and Information Management (IM) backgrounds. BA focuses on achieving predefined goals efficiently and effectively, while IM provides the right information for process management. Although traditionally applied to organizations, these principles proved to be valuable on an individual level. However, applying these concepts presented some challenges, such as developing reliable and fast measurement methods (data and tools) and identifying the most informative reports. 4F successfully addressed these challenges.

Journey

4F‘s foundation lies in its philosophy, outlined in the ‘De Slechtste Baas’ (The Worst Boss) and ‘Professionaliseren als Professional.’ 

The first book draws inspiration from Seth Godin’s insightful blog post, ‘The World’s Worst Boss,’ where he argues that you might be the worst boss to yourself!

In “Professionaliseren als Professional” a model for self-management is outlined based on three pillars: Focus (doing the right things), Flow (doing things right), and Fun (doing things aligned with your values and preferences). High scores on all three elements indicate a good “Fit” between your work and yourself.  4F is a practical application of this model. 

How we work

ForeF does not provide coaching or courses. She will however provide tooling, guidance and active support to enable you to learn from yourself. The aim is to ensure that you will not be “The World’s Worst Boss” to yourself. The approach is based on three key principles:

1. Active Learning: Based on the Bales learning pyramid, we emphasize active learning as the most effective way to learn. Therefore, we won’t offer passive learning methods like courses, trainers, or coaches. Instead, we provide an innovative ecosystem for active learning.
2. Fact-Based Improvement: Inspired by Lord Kelvin’s philosophy, we believe improvement requires knowledge, and knowledge requires measurement (data-driven approach).
3. Continuous Improvement: We advocate for a Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. After each cycle, you can assess whether your actions delivered the desired results or if adjustments are needed.

Recap

ForeF successfully translates organizational (meta) concepts to the individual (micro) level. Learning with ForeF is a collaborative effort built on active and fact-based methods. While we acknowledge that this approach may be demanding for some learners, it’s the most effective way to develop your most crucial skill. As Seth Godin concludes, “It’s hard to think of a more essential thing to learn.”