David Pearl : Session Ideas : SPEAKERS for BUSINESS

David Pearl

Thinking differently means entering another world

Session Ideas

The Hero's Journey - a powerful metaphor for a changing business world

Description

The hero's journey is a universal myth, appearing in all cultures and languages. It is the basis of most Hollywood films, as well as most books and stories we read as children and adults.

Put simply it is the story of an individual that steps out of the run of the mill world on a quest or adventure. Their journey takes them into the unknown where they encounter trials, difficulties as well as unexpected help and support. They face and (with luck, survive) an ultimate test and return to the everyday world with new experiences and learning to share.

It is a powerful metaphor for individuals and companies that are seeking to, or having to transform themselves, their approach and their companies. We imagine many of the delegates will be in this position.

It has particular applications in planning, communication, and interpretation.

The frame of the hero's journey helps you see where you are and where you are going in a fresh light. Most importantly it allow us to reinterpret the difficulties of change as essential ingredients rather than annoying distractions. We all have our own nemesis to face; in a refreshing about face I suggest we run to fund them rather than seek to avoid them. In other words, plan the baddy in...

It is our experience that business people connect easily and enthusiastically with the hero's journey and can see its applications as a business tool.

Hero's Journey as Business Tool

Here are a few ideas about how to use the Hero's Journey as a tool in business.

Planning

Plan as though you, your team or company are the protagonist of a hero's journey

When you are planning (e.g. implementing a new strategy, at the start of a new project, financial year or when forming a new team) you might find it helpful to plan the problems in.

Begin to recognise the obstacles the hero encounters as fertile territory for change; real opportunities for discovery.

Choose a nemesis - there will be one - rather than let it choose you. See the nemesis as a collaborator in the story.

Help you anticipate some of emotional journey ahead - the highs and the lows - they are there to teach you.

Interpretation

The hero's Journey is a powerful metaphor which helps you know the call to adventure when it happens (and not delaying longer than we absolutely need). Also, knowing a hero when you see one - not necessarily as an obvious champion but someone who has a sense that there is something more and is dissatisfied with stasis.

Reframing a crisis as a turning point (lowest point) and going back to first principles. This means asking yourself "what is my want" and "what do I need to learn or remember here?"

It reveals heros - not as swashbuckling machos, but as normal people called to extraordinary behaviour

Communication

The myth can act powerfully to enrol a company in a strategy - lending a numinous, epic quality to the everyday.

It can be very inspiring to link projects with powerful WANTs and DESIRES

It is a context which we all understand at a deep level and can create powerful common ground in a business.

The hero's journey invites companies to work at a deeper level to focus less on the outer world, which the hero leaves when crossing the threshold, and more on the internal.

Above all, the hero's journey humanises the world of work, validating the individual, reminding us we are not alone. It is a dignifying context for the daily struggles and challenges of our working lives.