In the world of personal development, there is a transformational story framework that not only motivates employees, but also guides them on their journey to achieving their goals. Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, a timeless storytelling template, can be a powerful tool to empower employees and map out their ambitions. In this blog, I will explain how Anamata uses the Hero’s Journey. Not only to inspire and educate employees, but to help them realize their ambitions and their dreams.
Understanding the Hero’s Journey
Before I describe how Anamata uses the Hero’s Journey as a guide for professional development, let’s review the key elements of the Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell’s theory, described in his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” shows common patterns found in stories from different cultures and eras. There are many milestones in the Hero’s Journey, such as a call to adventure, meeting a guide, crossing a threshold, facing trials, and finally coming back as a changed individual.
To get an even better understanding, you can watch the short video below:
Empowering the team
Just as heroes embark on epic quests, employees too navigate a unique journey in their life. Now, let’s explore how Anamata uses the Hero’s Journey to empower employees and help them map out their purposes and dreams.
Call to adventure: discovering aspirations and rewards
The first step in creating an aspiring map is for employees to identify their purpose and their “reward” in their Hero’s Journey. We encourage team members to share what they want to achieve—not only in their career, but also in their life— whether it’s a promotion, a new skill set, or raising a family. We want them to understand that these purposes should drive their journey, and Anamata is here to help them.
Meeting the mentor: seeking guidance
Our field managers (we simply call them peers) play a vital role as guides for our team members on their journey to heroism. They offer guidance, share their own experiences, and offer the support the employee needs to successfully navigate their career paths. We pursue an environment where mentoring is encouraged, and employees feel empowered to seek advice and insight (read more about this in our values).
Crossing the threshold: incentives
Crossing boundaries means committing to growth and change. We encourage our employees to take the initiative, whether it’s accepting a challenging project, sign up for additional training, or pursuing a new career. At Anamata we empower employees to step out of their comfort zone and embrace new challenges.
Facing trials: developing perseverance
Just as heroes face trials and tribulations in their journeys, employees face challenges in their career. Whether these challenges are complex projects, tight deadlines, or moving to another city, they are opportunities for growth and reflection. At Anamata, we pursue a culture where every Anamateer is willing to support and help our team members overcome obstacles. In the end, we learn, grow, and develop perseverance, which is key to success.
The Transformation: Personal and Professional Growth
Ultimately, the Hero’s Journey brings change. In the context of our employee journey, these changes can manifest themselves as enhanced skills, a deeper understanding of their role, and an increased commitment to purpose. But it can also lead to steps in their personal life: they move to a new home, take a sabbatical, or find their dream job. All these changes are recognized and celebrated as milestones in their journey. Even if it means that they have outgrown Anamata, we are thankful that we were able to help them pursue their dreams, and that is worth a celebration.
Return: sharing knowledge and inspiring others
The return of the hero marks the end of their journey, and they often find new wisdom to share with their community. At Anamata, we encourage our empowered employees to share their expertise, refer to others, and contribute to a continuous learning culture. Their experiences can inspire and uplift others and help them embark on their next journey. We always encourage employees to challenge their status quo.
To conclude
By incorporating the stages of the Hero’s Journey into our employee journey, we try to inspire our team members to embrace challenges, seek opportunities for growth, and ultimately come back as changed and helping other individuals with their new power. By setting long-term and short-term goals, our employees learn to face challenges and develop perseverance to pursue their dreams: by being their own hero.
