Authentic Leadership Development – Using archetypes to improve your emotional intelligence
February 22, 2010
Ruler seeks Magician to help restore the kingdom
Jester seeks Creator to get right outside the box
Damsel in distress seeks knight, must have own horse.
The examples at the beginning may seem like strange lonely heart ads, but they’re universal patterns that we function around.
Take great movies like ET, Harry Potter, Pretty Woman, Cinderella, and those up for Oscars this year like Avatar. Each is so powerful and successful because the characters embody a clear archetype and the story line is one we’re familiar with. King Arthur needs his Merlin for Camelot to be healthy
An Archetype then is a root word that encodes a complete pattern. If I said his leadership style is little Hitler you know exactly what I mean.
A picture may paint a thousand words, but archetypes convey everything in the word. Archetypes carry the seed and energy in a universal language. What’s so powerful is that you respond at a deep unconscious level and either the archetype draws you in or you pull away quickly.
Within business we’re also running our personal archetypal patterns.
The thing about archetypes is that over time we develop our favourites, and we have those that we out and out reject. Yet all have their place and purpose. I remember when I first worked with my archetypes. My destroyer had in the past done just that, destroyed, so when I really needed to let go of things that no longer served a purpose I didn’t, I hung on, and hung on, and then experienced situations where ‘the baby went out with the bath water’. My experiences with that archetype hadn’t been pleasant, so when it was required, it ran me rather than me using it. Not good, and even less so as a leader. We can do all the Emotional Intelligence stuff in the world, but trust me when I say that Archetypes run much deeper, so if you haven’t got a handle on them then you can only go so far. Now of course things are different, I can sense when the destroyer is required, so I pay attention, what do I need to let go of – it could be something physical, like a good office tidy up, it could be mental, like a belief, it could be emotional, maybe I’m not being true to how I feel and I’ve been ignoring myself. When I know what it is I can work with it, and the destroyer is an Allie. I also appear way more Emotionally Intelligent – and I am, because I’m paying attention to signals from the core of who am I.
Archetypes then are free powerful resources with a specific purpose, if you’re not aware of them, then they run you, when you are aware of them then you can use them.
As a leader your success – and ability to run a productive business with a highly engaged workforce – is determined by your level of self awareness. If you’re ready to take huge leaps forward then join me in April where I’ll be helping 12 leaders understand their archetypal patterns, access these phenomenally powerful resources and use them productively. You can find more information here on our Archetypal leadership development course or contact us to secure your place.
Increasing Staff Engagement – When Money Isn’t The Answer
February 4, 2010
As the economy and organisations emerge from survival to growth what about staff morale and engagement? Just as leaders can get caught in post recession paralysis, so can employees. After all the uncertainty and insecurity and with companies maybe asking that bit extra of staff to make it through the recession, what’s next in moving forward?
Well the most superficial response will be bonus’s and pay rises. Yes of course rewarding your staff is key. But as Frederick Herzberg said donkey’s years ago, pay is a hygiene factor and not a motivator. Without it you’ve got serious problems, but there is a point beyond which it doesn’t motivate or engage staff.
In fact Lord Richard Layard wrote a book Happiness – Lessons from a new science. Research shows that there is a fiscal point above which earning anymore doesn’t make you happier. If memory serves me right it’s £25K.
So what does increase employee engagement? Achievement, Recognition, Responsibility, Promotion / Career Progression, Learning and Development, Relationships / Team work, Flexible Working. These softer, more intrinsic aspects are what we should ensure are present. Typically when they aren’t that’s when people start demanding more money. It’s a sign that they don’t feel valued but are at a loss to put in place the intrinsic factors, so the tangible cash solution is a sticking plaster that patches things up for a while.
As the profits increase staff will, quite rightly, expect a share of that somehow. Yet in this emergent state your company may not be in a position to offer cash bonus’s. However if you use the extra cash you have to invest in ensuring the more intangible, intrinsic motivators are present then the payoff’s could be far higher than a pure cash solution.
Living with integrity – its impact on our leadership and brand
January 12, 2010
Living with Integrity can be tough. It’s how we behave when no one is watching, will we live our values or are we going to sell out or compromise. Knowing that every time we do we are the one that pays the price. Even if no-one else is watching or ever finds out, we know and our opinion of our self takes the hit.
And if people do find out, what’s the immediate and long term impact for us as an individual and the brand or company we lead?
Golf legend Tiger Wood’s much publicised fall from grace is an example of the catastrophic consequences a business can face when its brand is found to be inauthentic. The recent stories about the private life of the world’s No.1 celebrity golfer expose a huge gap between the perceived values of the Tiger Woods brand and those of the man himself.
As a leader and as a business we are all judged on whether we live up to the values that are associated with our brand.
Values driven leadership is about ensuring you live up to your values and the values promised by your brand. After all your customers and employees have bought in to your brand and what you stand for. Your behaviour and the behaviour of your employees then should also reflect the values of the brand. Of course if the values are what you’d like, rather than what is real then this becomes a challenge to sustain. So it is important to ensure your brand does not promise something you no longer believe in or cannot deliver.
If your values are aspirational then acting with integrity is going to be a serious challenge.
Every day we’re faced with choices, decision points, where we can uphold our values or not. At work we can be asked to do something ‘for the good of the company’ and yet we know that it’s against the company’s or our values. It’s a short term win and another nail in the coffin of that particular value that’s just been over-road. We may wish to behave differently but go along with it to keep our job.
Consistently acting against our personal values undermines our self confidence and self esteem. Keep this up and eventually we don’t feel good about ourself and neither does anyone else. Being consistently asked to act against the corporate or brand values begs the question how real are they and what problems are being stored up for future.
Let’s go back to the challenge facing Tiger Woods, now he has to re-build his brand so he can move forward. Some people I’ve talked to say it’s not possible. I think there is hope.
After all, authentic leadership is about who you are being as much as what you’re doing.
Goal Setting and Goal Achievement – Top Tips
December 22, 2009
Goal setting can be overwhelming or just plain boring. Here’s one of the indulgent things I do between Christmas and New year and since I’ve done it I swear it makes a difference.
There are however more things I do during December and January. They’re simple, practical and also contribute to my success. 3 of which I’ve put into a complimentary ebook for you. Well OK ebook might imply vast swathes of reading, think more ebooklet. To get your complimentary copy right now just fill in your details below. We’ll also sign you up to our monthly ezine so you get the next installment I’ll share with my clients in January.
Once you’ve signed up check your inbox (or spam folder) for a subscription confirmation message, say yes and the ebooklet should be with you in the next few minutes.
Merry Christmas and of course an abundant and prosperous 2010.
Change of Address
December 21, 2009
Please note our new address is now Cholmondeley House, Dee Hills Park, Chester, CH3 5AR
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