Do You Want to Change the World? Understand and Implement Tribal Leadership

Summary of Video

• We all exist in tribes; it’s part of being a human being
• A tribe consists of a group of people 20-100 in size, where there is a common culture
• The culture (or worldview/paradigm) determines how the world occurs to that tribe, with subsequent actions congruent with the tribe’s values
• There are 5 levels of tribe:
  • Stage 5: Life is great & we can change the world (~2% of tribes)
  • Stage 4: We are great (~22% of tribes)
  • Stage 3: I am great, (and you’re not) (~48% of tribes)
  • Stage 2: My life sucks (~25% of tribes)
  • Stage 1: Life sucks (adversarial gangs) (~2% of tribes)

Stage 5 tribes change the world (eg Truth & Reconciliation Committee)

Stage 4 tribes can do great things, because they recognize the value of each other’s contributions & want to collaborate

Stage 3 tribes are individualistic, each member wanting to fulfill their own, individualisitc goals, resulting in internal political backbiting and lack of real progress

Stage 2 tribes are "dumbed down" by their perception of the world that it’s drab, dull and nothing much good can happen.

Stage 1 tribes exist in gangs and prisons. To move someone forward, into stage 2 (yes, you have to move them just one stage forward at a time), there must be a grafting in to a new tribe, as in Stage 1, the challenge to move the whole tribe forward to Stage 2 as an entity, is probably beyond most (though not impossible).

How Tribal Leadership Can Move Towards Stage 5

Tribes can only hear one level above & below where they are. Leaders’ roles within a tribe are to nudge people to one level above where they are now, but they must use the language of the level where the tribal member is at the moment, and help them reframe the way they see the world through a process of change.

True tribal leaders create "triadic relationships" – they extend the reach of their tribes, introducing new tribes to one another, connecting different people together with the belief that when tribal interconnectivity occurs, the world begins to really change.

What kind of impact does your tribe make on the world? Can you begin to change the culture of your tribe? If you aren’t in a position of leadership yet, you can bring the understanding of tribes to your team (aka tribal!) leader; perhaps share this areticle with them, and point them to David Logan’s website: Culture Sync, where you can find free resources and tools to help move your tribe forward. [Membership signup required, but it’s free -and that’s not an affiliate link, in case you were wondering!]

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