Ever met someone with whom you connected immediately? It was like running into an old friend you’d never met before—instant, easy camaraderie, shared experience and values. You just “got” each other, right? Congratulations; you met a member of your tribe.
Humans as social animals group together with other people. The authors of Tribal Leadership say, “Birds flock, fish school, and people ‘tribe.’” We just naturally seek the company of people like ourselves. It’s a process as old as walking upright—probably even older. In their amazing book on organizational culture, Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright shed new light on what it means to form human groups and how those affect your work, career potential, and so much more. This is a paradigm shifting book that can change how you see your world and your place in it.
For starters, Tribal Leadership contends that there are five stages of cultures. They limit their generalizations to the workplace, but you’ll quickly start seeing examples of at least the first three stages all over the place: church, school, volunteer organizations, families, gangs. Any cohesive group of humans that numbers three or more will have its own cultural-tribal norms. See you if recognize some of these.
“Life sucks.” If you ask a stage one tribe member how things are going, this is the answer you’ll get. In work life, cultures in stage one are rare (only a 2% of workplaces according to the authors) but when you see a true stage one tribe, you’ll recognize it immediately. This is the ultimate toxic workplace where bickering, backbiting, gossip, and betrayal are a way of life. Think gangs, prisons, and post offices on the verge of a meltdown and you’ve got an example of stage one. People with substance addictions are living in stage one. The kid who ambles across the busy street with no sense of urgency, flipping off the passing drivers, is probably in stage one or close to it.
“My life sucks.” One step up from stage one is the tribe in which people realize that a better life is possible but perhaps not for them. If you watch the TV comedy “The Office,” or work in its real life equivalent, you know stage two very well. Although there is a sense that life can be better than it is, there is a wariness of optimism, hope, and efforts to improve. Stage two is the home of the jaded, the skeptical, the sarcastic, and the cynical. Roughly one-quarter of US workplaces are stage two cultures but I’m betting practically everyone has experience with stage two. It just sounds a little different (e.g., “My marriage sucks.”)
“I’m great.” True confession: I’m still living in stage three. Stage three is the place where a lot of people who work relentlessly to improve and get ahead live. It’s about distinguishing one’s self from others and the “I’m great” mantra has an unspoken correlate “…and you’re not.” Academia is hands-down a stage three culture but you’ve probably seen it on the sales floor and in your doctor’s office. Entrepreneurship is founded on “I’m great” and predicated on “and you’re not [great].” The “I” messages abound in the stage three tribe as members compete with each other and themselves. When the results of the competition start to seem empty, it’s time for stage four.
“We’re great.” In a stage three tribal land, it’s the norm to be the lone ranger slugging it out independently to reach the mountain top. Stage four is founded on the knowledge that the sum is much greater than the parts. Cooperative, collaborative, collegial, highly interconnected and interdependent, stage four tribes are rooted in their core values and their dedication to a bigger mission. They operate from a sense of oneness with the group and loyalty to the tribe as a whole. But as great as stage four looks and feels, there is still more rarified air to breathe.
“Life is great.” Not just a t-shirt slogan. In a stage five culture, a zen-like calm appears. It’s just the tribe and the mountain. The sense of competition is diminished in favor of fighting for a big goals like defeating cancer or wiping out poverty. Comfortable in its own skin, pragmatic, humble, powerful without being intimidating. That’s a stage five vibe.
Tribal Leadership does not read like a business book. It is written with an easy tone, packed with practical advice, and highly applicable to anyone who has to interact with other people. It changed the way I see my world and myself. I came to recognize that while I’m still in stage three, I can at least see stage four from where I am. I was humbled by the realization that in times of stress, I regress rapidly to the language and behavior of stage two. I’ve visited stage one in times of deep depression and pleased to report that I’m diligently working to create a stage four tribe with a small group of hand-picked, totally awesome collaborators.
This book has the power, depth, and broad applicability of some of the finest business books you know, like Good to Great. But don’t take my word for it—read it for yourself and prepare for a new point of view that may allow you to become a tribal leader of the finest caliber.
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