The Higher Reaches of Success

Tony Robbins

For more than a quarter of a century, Anthony Robbins has served as an advisor to leaders around the world. A recognized authority on the psychology of leadership, negotiations, organizational turnaround, and peak performance, he has been honored for his strategic intellect and humanitarian endeavors.

So what happens when the most successful leadership coach in the world talks with the most comprehensive integral thinker? First of all, our expectations quickly dissolve. If Tony is supposed to be the "success guy" and Ken is the "intellectual guy," we find in them a warmth, humor, and caring that makes for a truly heartfelt dialogue.

"I get the phone call when the fire starts, when—true story—the President of the United States calls me and says, 'I'm going to get impeached tomorrow. What do I do?'"

Second, we begin to see how Tony Robbins actually works. If we've only known Tony from that genre of "get-rich-quick" infomercials, we now learn what a wide range of activities, sophisticated approach, and set of deep values he actually has.

Tony discusses his model of human needs and motivations, and his intervention strategy for change. From emotions to relationships to finances to physical health—Tony covers the bases. His model allows him to spot a person's leverage points, identify their barriers to change, and redefine their challenges in a way that allows for the most effective action.

Trying to understand why people do the things they do and what are the true factors for human fulfillment, Tony discovered what he calls the 6 human needs. We are always striving to meet some combination of these needs. However, it's the integrity with which we do so that determines whether we succeed and find fulfillment or, instead, only sabotage ourselves. And, importantly, our levels of fulfillment can show development over time, as our strategies evolve and our awareness deepens. The "6 human needs" are, briefly:

Need 1: Certainty/Comfort
Need 2: Uncertainty/Variety
Need 3: Significance
Need 4: Connection/Love
Need 5: Growth
Need 6: Contribution

Ken reflects on the development of Tony's work over the years, which began with a focus on self-mastery and success, and evolved into a whole-bodied, whole-person, relational, and even spiritual approach, with a focus on growth and contribution to the world. Indeed, there is a great love—of life, of family, of people—that inspires Tony's work for human change. That same love shines through in this conversation with Ken.