Reference: From Archetypes and the Hero’s Journey by Robert Holmes http://www.frazerholmes.com/archetypes-and-the-heros-journey/
I love this statement, “changing work one human at a time” because I feel that in some part, over the last few years that’s what I’ve been inspiring to achieve.
This morning I was trying out the Couch to 5 Km running app while listening to James Altucher interview writer Steven Pressfield about his latest book, The Knowledge. Steven Pressfield talked about the Hero’s Journey and how all writers (and indeed, any creative) has gone through this process at some stage of their lives.
As I was huffing and puffing through the ordeal of putting my body through jogging, I contemplated the journey that I’ve been on since 2012 when I was first introduced to Personal Learning Networks by Professor Alec Couros at a PLN Conference hosted by Joyce Seitzinger (@catspyjamasnz) for an academic audience (I was the only person from the corporate world who attended).
Similarly, at the same time, I was part of wonderful knitting club where crafters gathered to show and share their work, educate and be inspired. They were a global community who used social tools, technologies and platforms to keep their craft and practice alive – and it was my first introduction to social and personalised learning.
I guess you could say that was “My Call”.
From that moment on, I realised I’ve been on my own hero’s journey through the years trying to help my peers in corporate learning and development incorporate more personalised and social learning approaches with their work with their business clients.
Looking at the journey, I can recall certain moments and situations of each phase and blogged about them.
From resistance (peers, managers, friends and trolls), overcoming personal obstacles and then breaking through the self-doubt (although that rears its head often enough – I’m not perfect).
One element which I’ve been humbled and privileged was the opportunity to have mentors come my way.
Although they weren’t mentors in a traditional sense (someone to call upon when I needed), they were people who seemed to miraculously appear in my life at the right moments to say something positive, give me encouragement, to share their personal story.
They spurred me along to keep doing what I was doing because they had some belief in me. They were also people whom I respected and admired – role models – because they came from a different background to me and gave me unique perspectives and insights that I hadn’t even considered.
As I looked on the Hero’s Journey, I reflected that there are many people in organisations who are on this journey themselves but possibly stuck on the first phase thinking, “there has got to more to life than this!” Indeed, two-thirds of us are emotionally disengaged with our work.
However, at the same time, there are others in organisations who are already undertaking this journey within or outside their work thanks to social tools and platforms like enterprise social networks where they can find others to connect with, collaborate on and inspire and encourage each other to make a positive change.
“Changing one human at a time” is the motto of the Change Agents Worldwide, a global network of future of work practitioners who are committed to changing work.
I am proud to be a member of this group of heroes – my mentors – who use the power of networks and social collaboration to bring their global expertise to every project that relates to enabling organisations to transform themselves through the power of its people. I have called upon the assistance of this group when I needed it to receive useful advice, suggestions and encouragement to help me through the journey. Sometimes we need to have people like this in our lives to overcome the hold of resistance which throws up all excuses, objections and anxieties that come with making a change in our life and work.
If you would like to learn more about how Change Agents Worldwide, you can check out our website or contact any of the members for more information.
