SCARF’ing It - Threat or Reward 

by Sean Foster | April 07, 2022 | Newsletter

A practical model to better manage those Sabre Tooth Tigers. 

The Sabre-Tooth Tiger was no myth, they freely roamed the American continents and are believed to have become extinct 10,000 years ago, most likely hunted to death by humans. 

The human brain still autonomously judges everything as either a THREAT or a REWARD. Pretty much like we have been doing for thousands of years.  

The only difference in today’s world, besides there being no Sabre-tooth tigers, is that we are exposed to an exponentially large amount of change, and when a brain craves for stability and consistency, this change is equivalent to modern day Sabre-Tooth tigers. 

We were very fortunate to have Manie Bosman Zoom in as our guest speaker at our last BIG meeting, to not only re-highlight the Threat-Reward response but to also introduce us to the SCARF model.  

What I like about this model is that it simply highlights five key areas that through research, has clearly shown to activate the Threat or Reward response. With these insights you have the opportunity of being more self-aware of how you are responding to situations, as well as to better ensure that you are not triggering unwanted responses in others. 

S = STATUS  

C = CERTAINTY 

A = AUTONOMY 

R = RELATEDNESS 

F = FAIRNESS 

Would you like to understand more about this model? The good news is that you can even take a free assessment on how you respond in these different areas, you can take the assessment here. 

You can also find more information on the SCARF model here.  

Attending the BIG events in person will benefit you more than what I can achieve in this NewsBrief. If you are a business owner and are intent on improving your knowledge, skill and success, then it’s time to consider joining BIG or to consider 1-1 coaching. Hit reply and let's explore the options. 

Regards Sean