This morning I woke up thinking about the 5 Monkeys metaphor, the leadership style of Gandhi and Hitler and how the combination of both might just hold some very powerful leadership lessons. For those unfamiliar with the 5 Monkeys metaphor, follow this link: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=five%20monkeys
So where does Hitler's leadership style fit with the metaphor of the Five Monkeys? I am here introducing the 6th Monkey ...
At the bottom of the ladder there are 5 monkeys who have learned to depend on others for the provision of bananas and have learned to fear the consequences of the actions of others. The monkeys start from the expectation that the cage is inescapable and that the bananas need to be provided by a more powerful other who is to be feared and who sets the rules of engagement and what behaviours earn bananas. Each monkey who is brave enough to reach for the bananas is perceived as a threat to the 'status quo' by the other monkeys and pulled back into line through discouraging words and restraining actions, but also potentially - given the right circumstances - being attacked with weapons.
In steps a 6th monkey who supports the majority's believe that the cage is inescapable and that the unknown more powerful someone/something needs to be distrusted/feared. The 6th monkey offers themselves up as the 'rescuer' of the situation (please refer to the definition of rescuer as described by Stephen Karpman*). At first the 'rescuing' leader is welcomed. It gives the rescuer the status/popularity they crave and the followers are happy that someone other than themselves is willing to take accountability for all that is bad in the their experience of the world.
However when the rescuer struggles to rescue and starts losing control (as is inevitable as one person cannot solve all problems), the majority start to distrust the 6th monkey, however due to the power and status awarded to them by the majority when things were going well, the 6th monkey can now become the powerful someone to be feared and in turn is the one who sets the rules of engagement, with due punishment for those who are resistant, step out-of-line or those who are different. And so the cycle continues ...
So how would the 6th monkey act differently Gandhi-style (not to be confused with Gangnam-style)?
Gandhi trusted in the belief that even in the most appalling of situations someone can create their own freedom by accepting their situation and living a simple life (high resilience). His only focus in life was humility, being non-judgemental and continuously seeking self-improvement (personal leadership).
In this case the 6th monkey looked at opportunities beyond the cage (innovation) and did not start from the believe that you need to rely on others to provide. The 6th monkey made self-determining choice, thought positive and committed to living self-sustainably.
By showing his simple successes, the 6th monkey led by example. When the other monkeys started to follow the example, the ladder, bananas provided and the powers previously feared became less of a focus, which in turn created a more trusting and peaceful environment to live in, where collaboration and sharing wins over power and status.
So in summary, embrace personal leadership by being more self-aware, trusting of yourself & others, and unleashing your creativity by thinking differently! ... and we might just be making our way to world peace (Gandhi-style)!
REFERENCES AND FURTHER RELATED SUBJECTS
Test your resilience (FREE Resilience Self-Assessment Questionnaire) - https://www.testyourrq.com/
Transactional Analysis - http://www.businessballs.com/transact.htm
* Karpman's Drama Triangle - http://coachingsupervisionacademy.com/thought-leadership/the-karpman-drama-triangle/
Transactional Analysis: Getting off the Drama Triangle - http://www.melmenzies.co.uk/blog/transactional_analysis_getting_off_the_drama_triangle_part_1
Learned Helplessness, Rats, and People Power - http://codecraft.co/2012/11/26/learned-helplessness-rats-and-people-power/
The truth about dishonesty - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBmJay_qdNc
The Power of Outrospection - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG46IwVfSu8
No comments:
Post a Comment