Are "Hierophants" Really That Important? (McDonald's Thinks So!)

Why Do We Need Hierophants?

Gandalf the Grey (later the Gandalf the White), Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and Professor Albus Dumbledore are all Hierophants. Mr. Miyagi, of Karate Kid fame (whether the first or second film release), is also a Hierophant. With this established, is a Hierophant something (or someone) that we really need - or is this just a nice artifact for certain film and story genres?

McDonald's, a Fortune 500 company, certainly thinks that Hierophants are important.

A Hierophant is more than a teacher, coach, mentor, or guide - although he (or she!) is typically all of those roles. The "more than" is that the Hierophant is the means by which the traditions, "secret knowledge" (whether of spells or corporate plans), and values are transmitted from one leadership generation to another.

According to a Robert P. Gandossy and Nidhi Vermma, in "Passing the Torch of Leadership", the implicit role of Hierophants is essential in ensuring that strong companies maintain their competitive edge. Quoting a study carried out by Stanford University researchers James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, as described in their best-seller Built to Last, these two researchers found that companies maintaining a stellar performance and managing 20th-century endurance had one essential ingredient: a culture of succession management. In other words, internal Hierophants trained the next generation of leaders.

Further, as described by Collins and Porras, and summarized in this article:

Organizations that embrace a formal, ongoing, top-to-bottom succession process that is a fundamental part of the corporate fabric--what we call best-in-class succession management--have developed a key ingredient for long-term success, as Collins and Porras demonstrated.

Is this sound advice? McDonald's, a Fortune 500 company, certainly thinks so. In a Fortune article on Why McDonald's wins in any economy (August, 2011), author Beth Kowitt describes a culture instituted by CEO Jim Skinner, who created "Hamburger U," McDonald's management training facility. According to Kowitt:

This push for talent development may be Skinner's greatest legacy at the company, which has 700,000 employees in the U.S. alone...

His push for in-house talent development creates a substantial pool of leaders-in-training:

[Skinner] requires that all executives train at least two potential successors -- one who could do the job today, the "ready now," in McDonald's parlance, and one who could be a future replacement, the "ready future." ... Every year the executive team, including Skinner, reviews the top 200 positions in the company and the feeder pool, which means it ends up looking at about 400 people. "We talk about all of them," says HR chief Rich Floersch.

This is an excellent example of the Hierophant notion internalized into corporate values and training. We pay attention to that where we put our money. Clearly, McDonald's is putting both attention - and money - into internalizing the Hierophant role within its culture.

Mastering the "Power Archetypes" - Essential for CEOs and Strategic Leaders

Using the Six Core Power Archetypes - A Leadership Essential

Why are successful CEOs paid so much more than other key members of a leadership team? It's not just the responsibility; the "buck stops here" factor. It's not just business experience and ability to "perform." Rather, there is a skill required in leadership situations - a very special skill - that very few have. So few people have this skill, really, that those that do command the most prestigious jobs. They have the most influence and leverage. While each of us creates a "ripple effect" in the world around us, those few people who have this unique skill have a "ripple effect" that can travel around the world (multiple times), and persist long after the person is still in place, carrying out his or her role. In some cases, the impact of these people lasts for centuries. They create true legacy.

This skill, I'm convinced, is not just the ability to deal with complexity, but something more complex in itself.

Imagine that you - or anyone whom you know - works within an "imaginary room." There are different "walls" in this room. Each "wall" represents a kind of interaction that is required for the job.

Suppose that someone has a relatively simple job, in terms of "interaction complexity." They might be doing a very highly skilled task - such as programming a complex system. But their "interaction complexity" is limited to just a few "walls." This person has their boss or team leader, their co-workers or those who are providing inputs to the system design, and - of course - the "system" itself. This person may be paid a great deal, depending on the complexity of the system that they're programming, and the level of insight and skill that they bring to the task. But there is a "cap" on their salary - and on their growth within the organization. This "cap" relates to the complexity of the "room" in which the person lives. In this case, their "room" has just three "walls"; team leader, co-workers, and computer system.

Now, think of yourself in a CEO (or similar leadership) role. Your job requires you to live in a "room" with very many "walls." There is your Board and the Board Chair, your direct reports, your clients, and - of course - the product or services that your company offers. Within the realm of "direct reports," there is further complexity. Marketing, for example, is a very different "wall" than is finance, which is different from operations, etc.

What makes your job both interesting and demanding is the need for you to "switch gears" as needed. Your job environment is the Swiss Alps race track; as described in a previous blogpost on Your V8 Power Car Engine.

The most effective, and successful, CEOs manage by calling on their different power modes as appropriate, and as needed.

One good example of this kind of power mode integration is described by author Michael F. Andrew, in his book, How to Think Like a CEO and Act Like a Leader. One of his first points is to "treat issues coldly and treat people warmly." This is direct advice to combine two power modes; your Emperor (your logical, facts-and-figures, results-oriented mode), and your Empress/Isis (your caring, feeling-oriented, relationship-building mode). These are entirely different modes of being. Successful leaders use both - and four others as well! (They also, for "filling their well," draw on their two reserve modes also.)



I know of several people who do this kind of "gear shifting" very well. Two well-known luminaries are current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. (They are both profiled in Chapter 11: "Switching State" of Unveiling: The Inner Journey.

Closer to home, Maestro Dingwall Fleary, Musical Director for both Reston Community Orchestra and the The McLean Symphony, is an excellent example of a leader who can "shift roles" as need be. He finds this ability essential to his success in leading people and in bringing out their "best possible performance." And just as as business offers quarterly profits as immediate and direct feedback on the CEO's skill, a symphony's performance is a direct feedback on the conductor's skill. It's partly the quality of the musicians, and it's mostly what the conductor can get out of them.

For more, read Chapter 11: "Shifting State," in Unveiling: The Inner Journey.