Knowledge
of the
Answer Heroic
the Journey
Call
Leadership
JOURNEYS
Web
OF CHANGE
Four
Forms of
Courage
KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER 3 •
•
Denial
Anger
• Bargaining
OVERVIEW OF THE • Depression
HEROIC JOURNEY 3 •
•
Acceptance
Guidelines for Leadership
• The Rewards • Endings and Creation Overlap
• Act I: Beginnings
• Act II: On the Path ACT II: THE CHALLENGE
•
•
The Tests
Heroes Don’t Go Alone
OF MASTERY 16
• Act III: Completions • Life Giving Creation and Mastery
• Creation
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF • New Discoveries
HEROIC JOURNEYS 5 •
•
Learning and Mastery
Barriers
• Always Two Journeys for Individuals – • Models of Mastery
An Internal and an External • The Mastery Force-Field
• We Spiral Through Journeys • Learning to “Love the Plateau”
• Personal Levels of Challenge (PIES) • The Inevitable Performance Dips
• Ripple Effects and Senior Management Psychosis
• The Scale of Tests
• Positive and Negative Tests ACT II: THE CHALLENGE
OF BEING IN-BETWEEN 20
THE HEROIC JOURNEY –
A STORY IN THREE ACTS 8 •
•
Encountered Dynamic Tensions
The Known and Unknown
• The Five Challenges at the • Order and Disorder
Heart of the Journey • Place and Displacement
• Connection and Disconnection
• Hope and Belief and Doubt and Despair
ACT I: BEGINNINGS –
GOING FORTH 8 •
•
Excitement, Anticipation, Fear, and Anxiety
Meaning and Loss, or Lack or Meaning
• Orientation and Disorientation
• How Journeys Begin. It Matters a Lot
• Integration and Disintegration
• Heeding a Call
• Being Thrown Into a Journey
• Being Lured Into a Journey ACT III: COMPLETING
• JOURNEYS: INTEGRATING
23
Blundering Into a Journey
• The Nature of Thresholds AND EMBEDDING
• “Guardians of the Threshold” and
the Refusal of the Journey • The Central Test at the Completion
• “Dancing Around the Threshold” of Journeys
• The Impact on Others and Their Often
ACT II: THE CHALLENGE Surprising Responses
OF ENDINGS 12 •
•
The Four Classic Responses of Others
Easing the Return – Preparing the Way
• The Essential Endings • Fitting Everything Together – Alignment
• Anticipatory Loss and Attunement
• Sacrifice Vs. Simple Loss • Knowledge of the Journey – “Don’t
• Managing the Stages of Dealing Leave Home Without It”
with Endings
KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY
There are two reasons to pay attention to the reali- On the other hand, with sufficient people prepared
ties of the heroic journey. well the likely scenario is one of more excitement
than anxiety, more trust than mistrust, a posture of
1. As leaders, this is the path we will travel and self-management vs. dependence, an investment
the tests we will encounter – personally and in of self vs. withholding, and an increasing sense of
our leadership roles. The heroic journey tells confidence and esprit de corps as challenges are met
us what we can expect as well what leadership and overcome.
roles to play and the strategies that make them
work. It also provides guidance in managing
our selves so that we can effectively lead others.
Overveiew of The
2. This is the path that we will be asking our the Heroic heroic
followers to travel. We need to be ready to
orient and prepare them for these experiences
so that they can self-manage as well as possible.
Journey journey is
By bringing this base of knowledge to our
followers it also helps them understand how we The heroic journey pro- the story of
are leading and makes it easier for them to align vides a trustworthy map
with us and each other. for leaders. It is the story change and
of change and growth in
its healthiest form. It is growth in its
Knowledge is truly power and power is required from about becoming increasingly
the beginning to the end in journeys of change. That competent, mature, resilient, healthiest
power needs to be exercised by a surprisingly large and able to meet the shifting
number of people who are aligned in their efforts. challenges of the world. Almost form.
This is “power with” vs. “power over” as part of the all cultures have their own versions
Leadership Web. of the heroic journey to educate their
members about what’s required for the health of the
The old phrase, “Power corrupts and absolute power community as well as creating meaningful lives. The
corrupts absolutely,” is a wise warning, but its oppo- journey plays out in three acts.
site is much more in play in the heroic journey. On
journeys of change a lack of power will corrupt lead-
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY
The Rewards
Act II: On the Path
In addition to achieving increased competencies,
wisdom, resilience and confidence, when we follow When we do cross the threshold and move through
the path of the heroic journey we serve as models the land that lies on the other side we are faced with
for our groups and infuse those groups with life tests and trials that usually require new or altered
energy. Groups and communities become stronger ways of organizing ourselves in groups, thinking,
and better prepared for the next journey. Even when relating and acting. What worked before needs to be
journeys aren’t completely successful, most of the honored, but may no longer be effective. Old pat-
rewards can still be realized to a surprisingly large terns and approaches may even be counter-produc-
degree. Most of us can look back on experiences tive or dangerous.
that weren’t particularly successful, but from
which we grew in important ways. The Tests
“The
One of the reasons that the long The heroic journey is a time of endings and begin-
chal- term benefits are so important nings and of the difficult terrain in between. We may
is that the heroic journey is a find that our tests are physical, intellectual, emotional,
lenge of cyclical or spiral experience. or even spiritual and that our changes are, conse-
As individuals and orga- quently, in one or more of those areas. Different
mastery may nizations we go through journeys pose different challenges and opportunities
multiple journeys over and result in different areas of growth.
be the single big- the course of a lifetime.
Each journey, therefore, The journey will often require letting go of many,
gest, and least builds on past journeys though certainly not all, old ways in order to give
and sets the stage for birth to the new. For instance, even a change in one
appreciated, of future journeys. key process in an organization can require comple-
mentary changes in roles, skills, relationships, tech-
the tests on a Act I: Beginnings nologies, physical space or equipment. It can also
affect a person’s sense of identity, place or the mean-
journey” The classic heroic journey ing and satisfaction found in their work.
begins with the crossing of a
threshold, leaving a known world or A second set of challenges and tests, often the most
comfort zone. We may (a) “heed a call” to deceptively difficult, takes the form of discovering
go forth, (b) be thrown into the journey, (c) be lured new ways and persevering in mastering the skills
in, or (d) blunder in. The first challenge is getting they require. The challenge of mastery may be the
past what are called the “guardians of the threshold.” single biggest, and least appreciated, of the tests
These guardians take the form of such things as inner on a journey. A third set of tests will involve dealing
doubts or external forces that try to turn us back right with the uncertainty, occasional disorientation, and
at the beginning. They are the first test and chal- ambiguity of the land between endings and begin-
lenge our readiness and worthiness to go forth. nings (“inbetweenity”). Helping people stay oriented
and balanced and connected is central to success in
Many journeys have the seeds of failure sown right dealing with this in-between state.
at the beginning because we never really leave the
known world – we leave a foot on either side of the Heroes Don’t Go Alone
threshold. We can, therefore, never really discover
the new truths, the revelations, and the new life that Few (if any) of us who cross the threshold have to
are possible. Beginnings matter – a lot. face the trials and tests alone. On almost all journeys
there are helpers of various sorts who can provide
direction, tools, challenge, encouragement, and
coaching to better cope with the new environment.
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY
These supporters come in many forms from family The tests on a heroic journey for any individual will
members and colleagues to various advisors and vet- be both internal and external and those two types
erans of the heroic journey who share their wisdom may be profoundly different. This is why there are
and encouragement. Actively developing a support really two journeys to manage. The external journey
network of these helpers is a critical task in “manag- will relate to the changes underway in the organiza-
ing ourselves to lead others.” tion or community. We may be leading or following,
but we will be engaged in all the elements of the
Act III: Completions classic heroic journey. We will also see changes in
ourselves as we traverse that external path.
When we successfully meet the challenges of the
journey the final phase is some form of return or Some external journeys precipitate big internal
completion. We “return” with the gifts that we have journeys of change and some only precipitate little
discovered, whether new knowledge, new abilities, changes, but there will always be something going
new ways of working and relating or new technolo- on for us personally. And there will always be oppor-
gies. That triggers the final set of challenges. tunities for us to grow and become more mature and
whole – if we pay attention.
The hero’s return may be the most difficult part of
all. Whether individually or as a group, we will be Even when the external journey is disappointing or
changed. That will require changes in others, for full of loss, the internal journey may be richly reward-
it will change the nature of relationships and align- ing, particularly in the long run. We define ourselves
ments of various kinds. Those changes can ripple by how we respond to the external challenges and
out in many directions and for long distances. The can, therefore, build new skill sets and define our
gifts of the hero can easily threaten the status quo. character and best qualities - even in an unsuccessful
Once again, this is as relevant for communities and external quest.
organizations as it is for individuals. We must ap-
proach the completion of a journey with our eyes
open. In fact, we should have been preparing to deal
with this ripple effect from the middle of the journey
– as soon as we could project the likely ripples of our
emerging changes.
Basic Principles of
Heroic Journeys
Although every heroic journey will be unique, there
are some principles that are common to all journeys
and add some interesting dimensions to the basic
The external challenges are usually more obvious
story just described. Six principles are presented
and get most of the attention, although they are often
here and each will be a factor in every journey. Each
not the most difficult nor the most important tests.
will offer leadership a potential edge in understand-
On the other hand, we usually have more influence
ing their own experience as well as that of those who
over the management of our internal journeys.
follow and, thus, guidance in how to respond.
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• Life doesn’t happen in a straight line. A straight Intellectual challenges often involve new ways of
path through life would be too steep and too thinking or conceptualizing ranging from how com-
dangerous. Life is just too interesting and twist- munities are organized or interact to how a person
ing as well as difficult. A direct linear path would sees her or himself (self image), to new ideas about
be like driving straight up (or down) a mountain. the nature of relationships, to how work is organized.
The spiral path allows a more gradual ascent with
twists and turns. Emotions such as fear, anxiety, depression, despair,
disconnection, disorientation, and alienation can be
• The spiral also allows a shifting focus among mixed with feelings of joy, exhilaration, excitement,
the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual calm, wonder, connection, hope, and inspiration.
planes precipitated by the longing for wholeness Emotions can be fully experienced or repressed and
and integration. It allows any particular journey they can shift rapidly depending on circumstances
to bring progress in one or more areas even and a person’s physical, intellectual, and spiritual
while there may be regression in other areas. It states.
acknowledges that people change on different
levels at different times. The danger comes We will be challenged to trust, risk, depend on others,
when growth in any particular area is blocked for maintain a sense of hope and confidence, and draw
too long. A crisis, however, will probably occur on our sources of courage. The deepening of emo-
to break the logjam, although the crisis may not tional competence can be one of the great challenges
look like a good thing at the time. and great benefits of the journey.
3. Personal Levels of Challenge Taken to its deepest level, the heroic journey is ul-
timately a spiritual journey. That can be defined in
(PIES) many ways, but in general terms has to do with con-
nection and relationship beyond “self”, to a connec-
There are always four potential levels of challenge in
tion to a higher being, to the common ground of life,
any heroic journey (PIES).
to the divine, to the universe. Questions of purpose,
meaning, and creativity or generativity also frequent-
• Our Physical life • Our Intellectual life
ly come into play.
• Our Emotional life • Our Spiritual life
4. Ripple Effects
Some challenges along the journey will be primarily
physical in nature, some intellectual, some emotional,
Effects in one area will ripple out through the other
and some spiritual. Some will be more important
areas. For example
than others and some will be answered more effec-
tively than others. Different journeys will challenge
• An external intellectual challenge such as a
us on different ways. It is important, however, to re-
change in required management or leadership
member that the heroic journey can touch all of those
style may provide major internal emotional chal-
levels and in many ways.
lenges such as fear of ineffectiveness or a loss
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of power, a shift in identity or esteem, loss of a • Communities are confronting challenges of gov-
sense of form or order, or simply anxiety about ernance, diversity, economic health, educational
the unknown. systems and systems of healthcare.
• Similarly, an emotional shock, such as losing a Part of the test in organization-wide or community
position or job may result in physical challenges change is figuring out how everything fits – re-align-
of increased stress and decreased support, intel- ment – after the changes have been made in key
lectual challenges to rethink careers or family life areas. A complementary challenge is determining
styles, and may even result in rethinking one’s which groups and individuals are significantly affect-
place in the universe or larger scheme of things. ed by the changes and how to help them deal with
that impact.
• Challenging community norms may bring chal-
lenges on all four levels. Physical safety may be Even in organization and community change where
challenged and emotional well being can easily a great deal of systemic change might be involved,
be shaken by being threatened or shunned or much of the leadership focus must be on individual
simply doubted by others. Intellectual capacity and group change. As organizational life becomes
can be strained trying to figure out what’s going more fluid, groups must form and reform (often
on, what the desired state might look like, and across many boundaries) and morph to meet the ever
what might be required to get there. Spiritu- changing requirements. Community and organiza-
ally, relationship beyond self may undergo major tional change does not happen without change in a
challenges and rethinking or may be powerfully surprising number of people and the groups in which
reaffirmed. they work.
Often, where there is a threat on one level, there That’s One of the Differences Between the Classic
are opportunities on another, although those op- Heroic Stories and Our Current Reality. We now have
portunities may be less obvious. The change in a whole communities and organizations needing to
person’s leadership style that was noted above may go forth on heroic journeys with large numbers of
be experienced with a great deal of fear or anxiety, people taking on the heroic role. The heroic stories
but it may also result in increased self-knowledge, still work, particularly for all those people that are
maturity, flexibility and confidence. The loss of a job thrown into journeys, but our stories are the individu-
may cause a needed re-evaluation of career, lifestyle al journeys on a larger scale.
or family relationships or even a deeper sense of
spirituality. 6. Positive and Negative Tests
5. The Scale of Tests Some tests will appear to be negative, for instance
job loss, illness, loss of a relationship or a decrease in
The scale of tests – from individual to communi- influence. Some tests, however, will appear in more
tyTests can occur on a community, organizational, positive forms, for instance promotions, marriage,
group or individual basis (COGI). One of the surpris- new work relationships, or increased influence or
ing things about the classic heroic journey is that it responsibility.
is as valid for group, organizational, or community
change as it is for individual change. It becomes It should not be assumed that tests that take a more
much more complex, but the pattern holds its value negative form will be more difficult or result in less
even with large scale communities. desirable outcomes. In fact, it is often the case that
the tests that have been the most shocking or trau-
• The kinds of tests that challenge across an matizing or caused the biggest initial sense of loss
organization include such things as changes in were the tests that resulted in the most valuable
strategy, processes, technology, ownership, roles outcomes.
and relationships, structure, competency require-
ments, etc. These principles are very effective guides in pre-
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY
paring for a heroic journey, whether in a leader or land of “inbetweenity” that lies between end-
follower role. They are also extremely useful as the ings and beginnings.
journey progresses to make sense out of the experi-
ence – to normalize it – as well as point to where the 5. Integrate, deepen, and protect what has
opportunities lie, even in the toughest settings. developed - starts early on the journey and
continues for quite a while after the journey
appears to be over.
Part Two: The Heroic These are our challenges and they will play out on the
Journey – A Story in following journey. These challenges will play out dif-
ferently on each journey. Some journeys will require
Three Acts a major focus on dealing with endings and loss. Oth-
ers will come with a major focus on discovery and
mastery. Still others may see a prolonged period of
The heroic journey can be seen as a three act play. “inbetweenity. And any mix is possible, which is why
Act I requires fast action to achieve the right type of leadership is such an art form and requires that we
beginning for the journey. Act II requires persever- continuously evolve personally and professionally.
ance and resilience to “hold the course” over a longer
period of time. And Act III requires the discipline to
not let up before the journey is really complete and
the gains fully realized and not vulnerable to back-
sliding. Act I: Beginnings –
The Five Challenges at the Going Forth
Heart of the Journey
OK – I’m in a leadership posture and ready to be the
The nature of the tests we know we will encounter author vs. a victim. I’m at the threshold. What can I
and their likely impact on our sense of well being expect?
and our ability to perform at high levels lead natu-
rally to five core challenges that we must meet. The How Journeys
advantage of knowing these challenges is that we
can focus our attention and energy on them with the Begin – It Matters a Lot
confidence that these are the areas that will make the
difference. How journeys begin is one of the most deceptively
important issues in the heroic journey and it has ma-
1. Be the author of the experience to the greatest jor implications for leadership. There are four ways
extent possible - begins at the beginning with that heroic journeys can begin and most of us have
more challenges throughout the journey. each experienced each type in the course of our lives.
These four beginnings are dramatically different.
2. Let go of old ways and relationships that no
longer work and deal with those endings and • Heed a call to go forth (internal or external voice)
losses.
• Be thrown into a journey by others
3. Discover and master new ways, developing
new knowledge, new skills, and new qualities • Be lured into a journey
and capabilities or deepening old ones.
• Blunder into a journey
4. Manage the uncertainty, unknown,
conflicting emotions, and shifting reality of the
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY 13
with Endings
Anticipatory Loss
There are several theories of how we experience
Endings don’t have to be real to create a sense of
endings that are useful in understanding this part
loss and grief. Particularly where people don’t feel
of the journey. One that is particularly useful is that
“in the know” about what’s planned or going on, they
of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Her model proposes that
are likely to go to worst case scenarios and begin
people go through five stages in dealing with the
grieving losses that haven’t happened. Those feel-
anticipated or actual death – one’s own death or the
ings are as real as those attached to actual losses, so
death of a loved one. Although she is addressing the
they need to be respected and dealt with.
death of a human being, the five stages fit the reac-
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY 14
tion to any major ending surprisingly well. when people are angry, they are engaged and their
Don’t ignore it and don’t fight it – go with it and take energy is outwardly directed. It may not feel good to
advantage of it. The stages are natural and each has leadership, but the energy is out to be worked with.
its purpose. The leadership challenge is to under- Anger can provide the following benefits.
stand the stages, respect their functions and find
ways to help people gain the value of each stage • It is one way to exercise power and not be a
so that they naturally move ahead. We can’t control passive-aggressive victim – people are beginning
these stages, but we can certainly dramatically influ- to try to influence what happens.
ence them. Denial, anger, and bargaining offer the
greatest opportunities for helping people deal with • It can be a push for involvement – getting more
endings and loss. information, moving toward productive roles
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY 15
tions with sentence stems such as, “What if…?” and sion is usually a sign that people are accepting the
“How about…?” fact that they are experiencing significant losses and
are preparing to let go. Unless the depression is too
• Bargaining helps people figure out the scope of acute or is becoming chronic, leadership’s role is
the change, more about its rationale and more to acknowledge it and respect its purpose and give
details about the envisioned desired state and people the room to feel some depression. The other
the journey itself. way to help is to simply continue to play the six lead-
ership roles and execute their strategies, which will
• Bargaining provides opportunities to influence move the whole organization and make it easier for
the journey in a variety of ways, from refining people to come out of their depression.
decisions and plans to changing them, to simply
deepening everyone’s understanding of what’s
intended and how it will be accomplished. It’s an
opportunity to become an appropriate author .
4. Depression
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Act II: The Challenge ented or having a sense of place and losing a sense
of place. They are all natural partners in the change
process and will coexist and be found consistently
of Being In-Between along the path.
This is the land where a good deal of letting go or These dynamic tensions are not to be avoided, but
endings have taken place, but new creation, new rather understood and managed as well as possible.
beginnings, births or rebirths have not yet been That is an art form and each person must find their
completed. The unknown is really the not yet known. own rhythm (which may change over the course of
It may be a blank or uncertain or ambiguous or ever- the journey). Some people are more at ease with
shifting, but it is not certain or constant. Although these dynamic tensions and can allow them to play
that is the natural state, it is uncomfortable and anxi- out for longer periods of time. Others have a great
ety producing. Living with the unknown is one of the deal of trouble with the lack of certainty and resolu-
most difficult aspects of the journey, but retreating tion and are vulnerable to actions that shorten the
from it is a retreat to false security in a false world. experience of these tests at the expense of success
on the journey.
That is a very constricted world and often much more
dangerous that the unknown. The in-between state Tension can be creative or destructive, but we know
is an essential, but often uncomfortable, place to be. it will exist in a number of forms on the journey. The
It is essential because it provides a “creative void”, in challenge is to manage these dynamic tensions in our
which significant change can happen. own experience and help others to do so also.
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too many of these dynamic tensions at the same time order and a transition to a new order. In between is
or for too long. The trick is living in between in a, the inevitable disorder, sometimes defined by such
hopefully, creative tension that gives birth to the new terms as “confusion, irregularity, disturbance, inter-
reality we seek. This is where the emotional compe- ruption of the normal functions”, even disease. As
tence of leaders can be sorely tested. a verb “disorder” is even more unsettling; “to break
the order of, to derange, to throw into confusion, to
jumble.”
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There will be a loss of relationship in the journey just Excitement, anticipation, fear, and anxiety are all
as there will be a loss of order, a loss of place, a loss forms of energy, although the experience of them
of meaning, or a loss of orientation. That is not nec- is certainly different. Excitement and anticipation
essarily destructive, but it will be uncomfortable. often feel like forces that draw or push forward, while
fear and anxiety often feel like forces that argue for
People and groups are most vulnerable when their avoiding, stopping, going back, or changing direction.
connections are too few or too important. Too few Excitement and anticipation also tend to encourage
connections means that fewer losses can be sus- contact and engagement while fear and anxiety rein-
tained and attaching too much importance to any force the desire to withdraw or disengage. They will
one connection means that the loss of that one con- all be at play to varying degrees during the journey
nection can be extremely threatening. and managing their energies is one of the key compe-
tencies that need to be developed.
This is another setting where the concept of a web is
useful. We have webs of relationships, from people Although often used interchangeably, it is helpful
to place, and we can stand to lose some relationships to differentiate between fear and anxiety to help in
if others stay in place and we develop replacements managing them. Fear can be seen as having a more
over time for those that we have lost. defined source or object (“I’m afraid of...”). The
source(s) of anxiety is less specific and often hard
5. Hope and Belief and Doubt to describe. It is more generalized and, therefore
very often more difficult to manage. Where fear may
and Despair generate acute feelings, anxiety tends to show up as
apprehension, uneasiness or agitation.
Much of the time in Act II of a journey hope and belief
exist together with doubt and even despair. Their 7. Meaning and Loss or Lack of
relative strength may vary greatly over time and may
be influenced by many potential factors. It may be Meaning “In
difficult to find a rational basis for hope just as it can
be impossible to disprove doubts. Objectivity often It is necessary to find mean- psycho-
has little influence in the dynamics of this relation- ing, whether it relates to
ship. people, places, things, logical terms
memories, values and
The definitions of doubt are familiar to any who have beliefs, or ways of do- integration
experienced significant transitions or lived heroically; ing things from work
“a condition of uncertainty”, “lack of conviction”, “to processes to cer- means the orga-
waver or fluctuate in opinion or belief”, “to be in- emonies and rituals.
clined to lack of belief”, “to withhold assent from”. Without sufficient nization of various
Despair is even more troubling as it is simply a lack meaning or signifi-
of hope. cance, life is difficult traits or tendencies
at best. Meaning
In contrast, hope is defined as “to wish for something provides a basis for into one harmo-
with expectation of its fulfillment”, “to have confi- sacrifice (giving up
dence, trust”, “to look forward to with confidence or something for something nious personal-
expectation”. The times will be rare when both hope or greater value). It pro-
and doubt are not present together, although each vides a basis for purpose, for ity.”
will come to the fore at different times. investing, for setting and main-
taining direction and orientation,
6. Excitement, Anticipation, Fear, and for renewal of energy and commit-
ment. Meaning may or may not be lost on a journey,
and Anxiety but when it is, that loss can significantly depress the
energy of an individual or group, which can show up
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as lethargy, disinterest or apathy. can be created can cause a good deal of doubt and
confusion for leaders when best efforts don’t seem
8. Orientation and Disorientation to have the desired calming effect. It is at these
points that understanding what’s normal coupled
with the will to persevere and “hold the course”
If we think of orientation in terms of “relationship to”, makes all the difference.
there is a wide range of relationships that can come
into play and be subject to this process of orientation,
disorientation, and new orientation. For instance
people relate to other people, groups, missions,
goals, roles and jobs, professions, places, organiza-
Act III: Completing
tions and communities, technologies, values and
beliefs, and on, and on, and on. Journeys: Integrating
Even a change in one relationship can create a sense and Embedding
of disorientation if it is a significant relationship. Ma-
jor changes usually create a great deal of uncertainty Strange as it sounds, successfully completing a
about a number of these relationships. The trick is heroic journey can be the most difficult part of the
not only to reestablish a new orientation where the journey. This is partly due to the reactions of others
old relationship no longer holds, but to also remain to the changes of the hero and partly due to the need
aware of those relationships that are not changing to re-order the hero’s world to fit the changes. The
significantly and that can maintain some degree of hard-won individual, organizational or community
orientation. changes can be surprisingly vulnerable for a period
of time.
9. Integration and Disintegration
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY 24
That will, in almost all cases, be resisted, sometimes 3. Kill off. Others can kill the hero figuratively or
strongly and sometimes violently. One of the criti- literally or drive them out.
cal issues for anyone approaching a desired state or
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY 25
4. Answer the call. Others can accept the inher- Fitting Everything Together
ent challenge to change and become bigger, more
complex, more mature, more adaptive. That chal-
– Alignment and Attunement
lenge is to change in significant ways to match the
changes of those that have completed a journey. Change means ending one form to find another that
It is the challenge to also go forth, leaving a known is more functional. Creating that new form means
world, and face the challenges of the path. One assuring that everything fits, that things are aligned
successful heroic journey can naturally precipitate and people are attuned. The “things” of the organi-
many more. zation must be aligned so that the strategies, struc-
ture, systems, processes, technologies, physical
plant, and policies and procedures reinforce each
Easing the Return – Preparing the other rather than conflict.
Way
In a similar fashion the people of the organization
must be attuned with each other and the
There are several critical factors that can affect how
organization. This includes such ele-
others respond to the implicit demands for change of
a hero’s return and part of a leaders’ role is to ensure
ments as the nature of relation- “The
ships, beliefs, attitudes, habits,
that the right questions are asked about those im-
pacted by the ripple effect of the journey. Questions
confidence and esprit de trap is
corps, and general health.
to ask include the following:
A major pitfall in Act III that it rarely
is failing to realize that
1. What is the likely impact on the surrounding
world of achieving the goals of our journey and
things can be aligned feels like there
relatively quickly, but
what might the change demands be on it? The im-
pact might be material or psychological/emotional.
people become attuned is time to learn
over an extended period
It might be on a physical, intellectual, emotional,
or spiritual level. It might affect individuals, rela-
of time. The challenges when there is a
are very different.
tionships, groups, organizations, or communities.
Just as we looked at our own experience through
demand to
There is one other challenge
these lenses in order to manage our experience,
we need to use the same lenses to attend to those
and opportunity in completion “do”.
and it requires a good deal of leader-
we affect.
ship discipline. That is learning from the
experience and turning that learning into increased
2. What is the degree of change readiness and
organizational capability, particularly leadership
capability of those most affected and what might
capability. If the heroic journey has been well led
they gain or lose?
and has employed a web of leaders and effective fol-
lowers, there should be a significant, if not dramatic,
3. What can we do to encourage others to go
increase in the leadership available to the organiza-
forth and what can we do to support them and
tion or community.
help them be successful? Our sustained success
will depend to some degree on their success.
However, failing to learn from the experience or fail-
ing to turn that learning into increased leadership
There is, of course, a limit to how much we can influ-
capability is a common trap and it will snap shut nat-
ence our world. Preparing the way does not guaran-
urally without leadership attention. The trap is that it
tee that our world will be friendly to the changes in
rarely feels like there is time to learn when there is a
us and the implications of those changes for those
demand to “do”. Doing may be king, but it is a poor
around us. It does, however, provide a discipline
king when learning does not accompany it.
and guidance to assure that we don’t overlook what
we can do, that we continue to take responsibility for
staying awake and for being the author.
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KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOURNEY 26
CenterForHeroicLeadership.org