I have recently read Dan Pink’s Drive and Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project and have been struck by a sentiment common to both: the importance of autonomy in helping to make individuals feel motivated and happy in the workplace.
Why CEOs want to be explorers not rulers
There’s something very interesting happening with CEOs (and I don’t mean resignations and scandals). Many are turning their back on the classic CEO archetype – the Ruler – and building their leadership around a different model.
Archetypes are a fascinating way to analyse leadership styles. Drawing on ancient traditions of storytelling, psychologist Carl Jung developed 12 primary archetypes, some of which he believed can be found in each of us. For leaders, understanding your archetype is a key way of gaining insight into your style and source of motivation.
What exactly is a narrative?
The UK political conference season is now in full swing and the media are obsessing about ‘the narrative’. Last week, The Guardian claimed Labour leader Ed Miliband set out a “clear overarching narrative” for government. The Confederation of British Industry disagreed, arguing Miliband’s speech lacked an “economic narrative”. Others claimed his speech was part of a “narrative reorientation process…” – a procedure which sounds possibly quite painful.
