As teams step into the change they go through different phases of emotional reaction to change. These stages are quite important to not only realize but also to openly admit where they are in the hero journey. If they don’t admit the risk is that the teams will remain in the zones that hinder the adaptation of change and stops progress our buyin or even needed output. Here is that journey that can be used to ask teams where they think they are.]
Stage 1 — The ordinary world — call to adventure
We start in the ordinary world by reflecting on our current environment: who are we as a tribe? what are we good at? what are our superpowers? what’s our DNA?
Why start before the actual adventure begins? Because we want to get to know the hero before we plunge him into the danger and to do that, knowing his background helps. It’s the perfect moment to show him at his best. But 2018 is approaching, we know that there is much more for us out there, we want to stretch beyond the known even though there is something that frightens us. It might not be that exciting like landing in Oz but it’s still a chance.
Stage 2 — Meeting the mentor
Something important is about to happen next: in order to cross the threshold and continue the adventure, we need the support of a guide or mentor. The guide gives us information and helps us make the right decisions. We don’t have to take it literally. It also doesn’t have to be a person. It can be a book or a phone call, or something that we remember of. For Dorothy, it was Glenda, the good witch. For Luke Skywalker it was Obi-Wan. For us it’s our motivators, our passions, what we love to do, what drives us, what describes us as a team.
Stage 3 — Enter the cavern
There is no change process that is going to be easy. Every adventure, in order to be worth it, has to be challenging: we meet friends and enemies (not always knowing which is which), the challenges faced allow us to learn and grow, along the way we will find out that we are so much capable that we would have ever thought. That’s great and very helpful news since the final ordeal is approaching. We now face the last great obstacles in order to reach our goal/s. It’s going to be hard but not impossible because we know we are prepared for something bigger.
Stage 4 — The Treasure and the road back
After all these experiences, we need to recover. It’s time to come back in our “ordinary world”. We are able to share the gifts and wisdom accumulated through our journey. We are greeted with joy and fanfare.
The journey returns to it’s starting point. Will the ordinary world be the same?
For us it was a great opportunity to end the journey by setting the OKRs for the next quarter. We managed to agree on a set of clear objectives, a specific and agreed roadmap and measurable progress.
Where are you and your team on the Hero’s Journey?
