In April 2005 I wrote an article which I subsequently published here on the blog under the heading Joseph Campbell and the hero’s journey. It is a posting to which I return again and again in my work with leaders. In the meantime, Robert Dilts (from whom I learnt about Campbell’s work) and Stephen Gillighan have added to the literature in this area by writing their own account of The Hero’s Journey, which I have recently added to my Amazon wishlist.
Campbell discovered a number of key steps in the hero’s journey, reflected in myths and stories from around the world. It’s easy to wonder why these are of relevance in our modern world (who do you know, for example, who has recently slain a dragon?) until we recognise, quite quickly, the metaphorical significance of the hero’s journey. It is, fundamentally, about our human experience and reflects the invitation that faces us all at some point in our lives to step out beyond our comfort zone in response to some kind of call to adventure.
The leaders I work with, being human, face the challenge that every other hero faces: the challenge of being called to embark on a journey without knowing where it will take you; the challenge of being drawn towards outcomes you don’t know how to achieve*. This is the very nature of the hero’s journey. Over my years of conducting research into what differentiates the most effective leaders I have found that one of the attributes of the most outstanding leaders is the ability to combine both an appetite for results with a tolerance for risk. It is by risking failure that we are able to do things that have not been attempted before. Such a leader is able to respond to the call to adventure (step one in the hero’s journey) and to step over the threshold (step 2).
But what if you are hearing the call to adventure and feel unable to respond? Maybe it helps to know that you are not alone – or maybe not. The truth is this: life calls us repeatedly to step over the threshold and the signals it sends us get stronger and stronger. The longer we wait the more likely they are to include those things we most fear – illness, job loss, the break up of our most intimate and valued relationships. We may know this and still, we fear what may come on our journey every bit as much as we fear what may come if we say no to the call. Saying no to a call to adventure comes, fundamentally, from our most heartfelt desire for safety. This is the time when our yearning for safety competes with our desire for change. The paradox is this: as soon as we cross the threshold, our guardian or mentor will appear. This is the nature of the hero’s journey. At the same time, as long as we refuse to cross the threshold there is no guardian, no mentor. It’s a lonely place to be.
Sometimes, as coach, I am the guardian whose student stands before me and for whom still, the time has not yet come. I can offer many options and ideas to explore and yet… it takes a commitment to cross the threshold – it takes having crossed the threshold – before these options carry any weight. And you? If you are the hero, called to a journey for which you are not yet ready, what can you do? I wonder if a starting point is simply this: to notice – and stay with – where you are; to ask yourself “where am I?”, “what is true in this place?” and “how is it for me to be here?”
*Leaders also face another challenge: that of having to decide how to respond when those they lead are saying no to their own personal call to adventure. I say more about this on Friday.