If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you probably know all about the Heroic Journey of the leader. It begins when the Hero/Leader answers the Call to lead their team or organization on the path to positive transformational change and ends when they survive a Supreme Ordeal that teaches everyone involved how to operate on a new higher level that changes the very fabric of the organization for the better.
As a reminder, the six phases of the Heroic Leadership Journey are: the Call, the Resistance, the Threshold Crossing, the Journey, the Supreme Ordeal, and the Return Home. For a primer on the phases of the Heroic Leadership Journey, read this.
Embarking on a journey of heroic proportions takes practice. It involves honing your skills and modeling the behavior you want your followers to have on a daily basis. Over the next few weeks, I will be digging deeper into each phase of the Heroic Leadership Journey to coach you, the Hero/Leader, on how you can can live fully into each phase every day.
I am also developing a Heroic Journey Leadership Quotient assessment tool to help you determine where you are in terms of living up to your potential and cultivating the necessary skills for leading positive change at any phase of the Heroic Leadership Journey. Stay tuned!
The Call
Here are some reflection exercises to help you give and get the most in the first phase of your journey: The Call.
If what you see in your organization is a “business as usual” environment and you are keenly aware of the potential for much more to be achieved, it is possible that The Call is beckoning you. The impetus to act on this awareness may come in the form of an opportunity or a crisis; either way, your job is to imbue the situation with personal and organizational meaning so that you, and eventually your followers, know without a doubt that it is a Call worth pursuing.
Ask yourself: How does this crisis/ opportunity shine a light on what I truly believe in?
Ask the same question again at least two more times until you hit pay dirt. The pay dirt will be the connection between the situation, who you are, and what you feel born to do. (By the way, this process may also reveal why a particular crisis or opportunity may not be so important to you and give you a chance to reprioritize.)
Next, think about how you can show up authentically to take advantage of the situation and use it as a platform for positive change in your organization.
Ask yourself: How do I need to grow as a leader to be effective in spearheading this effort?
This is where living into your Heroic Leadership potential really comes into play. What skills and attributes do you already possess that you can leverage? What do you need to work on to live up to the challenge before you?
Use my five-to-one process to find your Signature Leadership presence with a concerted focus on the assets you already bring to the table.
Kathryn D. Cramer, PH.D.
Founder and Managing Partner, The Cramer Institute
