Holding Out For a Hero!
Greetings, fair traveller!
It’s surprisingly easy, when talking about your work, to cast yourself as the hero.
• You solved the problem.
• You created the method.
• You delivered the transformation.
But if you want your message to resonate, there is a more powerful story to tell:
Your client is the hero. You are the mentor.
“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us” Joseph Campbell, story guru
Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces explores the recurring pattern behind myths and stories across cultures: a protagonist leaves the familiar world, encounters challenges, receives guidance, and returns transformed.
Think Luke Skywalker and Yoda.
Frodo and Gandalf.
Daniel LaRusso and Mr Miyagi.
The mentor matters enormously — but the mentor is not the person whose journey we are following. The same principle applies in business presentations. If your pitch says:
“We developed an innovative new system that has transformed the way organisations approach transport data…”
you have made your organisation the protagonist.
Instead, try:
“Transport teams are being asked to make increasingly complex decisions with more data than ever before. Our role is to help them see what matters and act confidently.”
Suddenly, the client has a challenge. There are stakes. There is a journey.
And you have a valuable role within it.
Great mentors don’t need to dominate the story.
They simply help the hero succeed.
Happy travels, dear mentors!
Holding Out For a Hero!
Aim: This story-based ‘hero’ work, as championed by Joseph Campbell, digs into spotlighting a client, then theoretically following their ‘journey’.
Outcome: Clarity on your client's needs by making them the hero of the relationship, and you the mentor.
How it works: Grab a pen and paper or a colleague to discuss this with. Pick a client to map this hero work onto. That client is the ‘hero’. You are the ‘mentor’. Now, pick an obstacle the client has to overcome and, setting a timer, muse on the following questions for 8-10 minutes.
How will you advise your client to proceed?
What ‘enemies’ will test them?
Who are their 'allies'?
What’s the prize they’ll eventually ‘come home’ with?
Reflections: What came up for you? What came up as far as the client is concerned?
