Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the relevant copyright, designs and patents acts, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers. BUSINESS HEROES That's a brilliant idea, but how could it possibly work in my organization? How often do you think as you read a business book that if only you could ask the author one simple question you could transform your organization? Capstone is creating a unique partnership between authors and read- ers, delivering for the first time in business book publishing a genuine after-sales service for book buyers. Simply e-mail Capstone at BUSINESS HEROES Making Business Renewal Your Personal Crusade SANDY DUNLOP Copyright © Sandy Dunlop 1997 The right of Sandy Dunlop to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 First published 1997 by Capstone Publishing Limited Oxford Centre for Innovation Mill Street Oxford OX2 0JX United Kingdom All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 1-900961-36-9 Typeset in 10/13 pt Palatino by Sparks Computer Solutions, Oxford http://www.sparks.co.uk Printed and bound in Great Britain by T.J. International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall This book is printed on acid-free paper CONTENTS Preface vi Acknowledgements and credits ix 1 Myth on the Bottom Line 1 The Audacious Challenge 2 The Hero’s Journey 19 A universal Story across Time and Cultures 3 Contemporary Heroic Tales 35 Some Stories from Modern Business 4 The Return Journey 73 The Hero’s Death (and Rebirth) 5 The Hero’s Toolbox 87 Practical Ways to Survive the Journey 6 Corporate Rites of Passage 113 The Rituals of Transformation 7 The Application of Myth 125 Myths of Innovation and Change 8 Myth on the Bottom Line 147 Ancient Principles for Modern Times Postscript 15 Apendix 157 Index 159 v This page is intentionally blank PREFACE Behind every major corporate success there is invariably an untold story. There are many who try to claim the credit for what is now working and proven. But usually there was someone (or some small group) who conceived of and fought for change long before it was popular or profitable. These people are truly Business Heroes. This book attempts to capture their story. It does so using the framework of the ancient, universal story of ‘The Hero’s Journey’. These ancient tales, which have certainly stood the test of time, point to a wisdom that is eternal. This book is for two groups of people. It is for the ‘heroes’ themselves, offering some advice from the wisdom of ancient myth on how to survive, even thrive, in a world that tends to remove its heroes. It is also for modern leaders and managers who need to renew their organizations in order to survive. For them, more important than all the rhetoric of innovation and change is the special ability to recognize and cherish the few heroes in their midst who might just help them through. A hero judges leaders on their actions, not their words! vi This page is intentionally blank BUSINESS HEROES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CREDITS This book has been a long time in the writing, and even longer in the thinking. It is the kind of work that must grow out of experience. The words must have been lived and felt. So I have to go back to a week in the Dublin mountains some 15 years ago when Paul Rebillot, actor and musician, led us through the ritual and story of The Heroes Journey. All through the years Joseph Campbell’s Esalen tapes on world mythology and his books have been a constant companion. I only ever heard the great Campbell and saw him on video but there is no doubt he was an ‘experience’. Exploring Homer and fifth-century Athens via the Open University courses and guides who truly love and live that time was a joy. Thank you Wesley Semple, Simon Spence and Aideen Hartney. Lucy Collins did the same for the literature of Joyce, Yeats and Becket. In terms of the writing, what matters is who believes in you and the thoughts when there’s nothing very readable. Noel Jones, early on, Eleanor Ash later, always seemed to believe. And with the very early drafts, Pat McCaffrey, Fergus Balfour and Maurice O’Grady struggled through and pointed ways forward. Jane Frost and Deirdre Simpson worked repeatedly on the re-drafts and re-drafts. Storytelling has some substance when based on the events of the everyday – making the ordinary extraordinary. There are many corporate ‘heroes’ and ‘warriors’ you meet while consulting over the years; they were part of shaping the experiences and ideas that built this book. To all of them, many thanks. In terms of reading the later version of the book, however, Richard Holmes and Jacqui Mees were very helpful, encouraging ix