In The Hero’s Journey, You Are the Hero
Within each of us, in the collective unconscious, there lies a hero — an archetype that Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung believed lays dormant until called to action. Studying world mythology, Joseph Campbell built upon Jung’s work. In The Power of Myth, Mr. Campbell writes that no matter what the myth, the hero’s journey remains the same.
Your Career is the Hero’s Journey
All heroes must leave what is familiar, venture forth, do battle, and then return, forever changed, with new talents and gifts to share. For those of us in executive search, that means we deal with something far more important than recruiting metrics and candidate tracking systems: with each and every recruiting engagement, we bear witness to the hero’s journey.
First Comes the Call to Action
The hero’s journey begins with a call to action. For executive search, the call to action may be the realization that you have outgrown your current job and will have to leave to move up the ladder. For the risk-averse, that can be a frightening thought. You are contemplating leaving the company and colleagues that you know. So it’s not surprising that following your call to action, you may initially refuse the call. You may not be ready to make a career move out of fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or a sense of duty or obligation.
Executive Recruiter, the Hero’s Guide
In the myth of The Hero’s Journey, a magical guide or helper appears once the hero has committed to the quest. That would be your executive recruiter, preferably a retained search consultant at a leading executive search firm. The most gifted recruiters and executive search consultants naturally assume that role, ushering candidates across the threshold to enter the world of the unknown — unknown possibilities.
Executive search done well is inspired. Executive headhunters open doors for executives who are considered among the best at what they do. We introduce exceptional candidates to once-in-a-lifetime wealth-creation opportunities. Some senior executive jobs are so lucrative they can benefit a family for generations.
But beyond the material benefits — your hero’s journey is a spiritual quest that involves forces including Jung’s collective unconscious and Campbell’s monomyth. Campbell believes that discovering your Hero’s Journey offers you the path to transcendence.
Joseph Campbell’s work lives on. A series of television interviews of the author by journalist Bill Moyers entitled The Power of Myth can still be viewed on Apple TV and YouTube.
