What Are the 6 D's of Development?

You've heard the metaphor. Leadership is like keeping multiple plates spinning. You run from one wobbling emergency to the next, frantically giving each just enough attention to keep it from crashing. And for a while, this feels like competence—like you're managing the chaos.

But here's the problem: it's exhausting. And eventually, your energy runs out. The plates fall. Leaders burn out. Teams fragment. Good work happens in silos but never converges into the kind of transformational impact you're actually after.

I've got two specific beefs with the spinning plates metaphor.

First, it doesn't express any vision of a future state where things won't be so chaotic. It's all perpetual motion, all the time. There's no horizon where the systems you're building actually hold together and free you up to focus on what matters most. It's just you, forever, running in circles.

Second, it doesn't capture the interconnectedness of the work. Each plate spins independently. But in reality, if you're building or growing anything meaningful—a business, a ministry, a movement, a coalition—those plates aren't separate at all. They're deeply connected. What you do in one area ripples into the others. Miss that, and you'll do good work but never great work. You'll manage pieces but never see transformation.

So what's the alternative?

I think of it less like spinning plates and more like a nomadic journey. You're not frantically reacting to what's about to crash. You're charting a course. You're building systems, teams, and strategies that are interconnected and aligned around a shared vision—with an end in mind. You're moving through terrain, not just managing chaos.

And that terrain? It's made up of what I call the 6 D's of Development:

Business Development – Building products, services, and revenue models that create value and sustain growth.

Workforce Development – Equipping people with the skills, pathways, and opportunities they need to contribute and thrive.

Organizational Development – Designing structures, cultures, and processes that enable collaboration and resilience.

Leadership Development – Growing the capacity of individuals to lead with clarity, character, and courage.

Community Development – Strengthening the social fabric, networks, and relationships that hold communities together.

Economic Development – Creating conditions for prosperity, equity, and opportunity across entire regions or ecosystems.

These aren't six separate domains. They're six dimensions of one integrated journey. And the magic—the transformation—happens when you create intersections and collisions between them.

Here's what I've seen in my 30 years of work across sectors: leaders and organizations struggle in one of two ways. Either they try to integrate the work themselves but burn out because they lack the energy and support to hold it all together. Or they manage in siloes—each D gets attention, but they never quite connect. You end up with competent execution but no transformational impact.

If we're going to pursue transformational aims—whether in a startup, a nonprofit, a coalition, or a movement—we have to intentionally build bridges between these realms. We have to see the whole terrain and move with purpose.

That's what my Nomad Way Approach is designed to do. It's not about spinning faster. It's about integrating smarter. It's about moving through these six dimensions with clarity, alignment, and an end in mind.

If you're imagining, building, or growing something that matters—and you need help aligning your development efforts into an integrated approach—I think I can help. The alternative is more of what you're already experiencing: exhaustion, fragmentation, and plates crashing.

Let's chart a better course together.

[Watch the video here] to see how the 6 D's come to life in practice, or reach out if you want to talk about how this applies to your specific journey.