After
Arthur became High King, he chose not to settle in the castle of his recently
deceased father Uther Pendragon. One of the most important reasons was that his
father had practised a completely different style of leadership. Uther had
reigned through power, fear and manipulation. He also realized great victories,
in his own way. But he had never been a leader that was trusted and loved by
his people. Arthur had enjoyed a Roman Celtic education, and he strongly believed
in values like justice, equality, discipline, passion, the willingness to learn
and friendship. Ector and Livinia gave him the priceless gift of healthy father
and motherhood, of healthy man and womanhood. It was one of the things that
enabled Arthur to develop a healthy self-image...
So, Arthur
decided that a new castle should be built. A castle in the middle of the
kingdom, and a symbol of the values that this kingdom should represent. And
thus Camelot was built. According to the legend, the castle was built near
Glastonbury, which was/is one of the most holy places in England – for the
Celts as well as for the Christians. The latter also indicates how strategic
and smart the choice for that location had been.
King Arthur
asked the kings and knights of the Round Table to gather stones and wood in
their own kingdoms, and to bring it all to Camelot. That way Camelot quite
literally (not just symbolically) became everyone’s home. Each time the members
of the Round Table gathered in Camelot, they gathered at their home, at their
Round Table. It truly became a home of which they were all proud.
In today’s
world, we often talk about ‘company pride’. It is one of the elements needed
for the success of a company. As the word itself already reveals, it means that
working for a company is something that employees are truly proud about. They
often do not talk about ‘the company where I work’ anymore; instead they refer
to it as ‘my company’. Companies that are famous for that are for instance
Apple and Google.
Back to
Camelot. Like I mentioned before, this home of King Arthur and the Knights of
the Round Table also served that purpose: they were all proud to call Camelot
theirs. Something that was enhanced by yearly tournaments, which meant a
gathering of all the members of the Round Table (who also brought along all
their families and friends). It also presented them with an ideal opportunity
to:
- Make new and maintain old friendships
- Keep each other focussed through games and challenges
- Discuss various important subjects
How can you
create your own Camelot? Just some suggestion:
1.
Design (together with your team) your:
- Core values;
- Norms and rituals;
- Mission and passion;
- Vision and strategy.
2. Design
certain shared symbols:
- A motto or;
- A clear corporate identity or;
- A WhatsApp group or;
- A LinkedIn or Facebook group.
3.
Organize tournaments:
- Twice a year a creative think tank or;
- Once a year a BBQ, Christmas dinner, marathon, chocolate or wine tasting, etc. or;
- Doing sports together once a month or;
- Go for a drink together once a month or;
- A monthly ‘war room meeting’.
In short:
as a team leader you are the ideal person to create a ‘home’ for your team, and
make sure that it is filled with life!
No comments:
Post a Comment