Step 3 Up the Tribe Triangle: Alignment and Becoming the Falconer Who Brings the Others Home
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;”
-William Butler Yeats
You, tribe leader, are the falconer and your people are the falcons that need to hear you so you can bring them home through the storm. You are the falconer who calls forth order from the spinning gyre of chaos and you do this by creating alignment. Alignment is the ‘centre’ that must hold so things don’t fall apart.
Alignment is the foundation of every aspect of culture and your ability to understand and create alignment will define your legacy as a leader in your family and work team.
Alignment trumps talent and it crushes character because those are individual traits and an aligned team will always beat any individual so completely that it’s not even fair.
Alignment is the honey that calls in all the lone wolves and talented individual and it’s the glue that holds them together in a collaborative way that is greater than the sum of their parts.
Alignment is your competitive advantage and the very beginning of your trip up the Tribe Triangle.
Alignment consists of three primary parts: vision, values and mission. We are going to go into a deep dive into these three components because they literally will dictate the operating system of your culture, however you need to know your place in this journey. You are The Falconer and you are The One to hold the center to bring your falcons home. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said it best in his quote on battle:
“Out of every 100 men, ten shouldn’t even be there, 80 are just targets, 9 are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the 1, he is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”
— Heraclitus
The ‘10 that shouldn’t even be there’ are the falcons in your life who are chasing instant gratification and pleasure. They are lost in the “turning and turning of the widening gyre” (tornado) of distraction and addiction. These lost, juvenile souls have no place in your Tribe until they evolve out of that adolescent state. Unfortunately, that will mean rock bottom for many of them.
Regardless of how many well-meaning resources you pour into these falcons they are not ready to start the journey up your Tribe Triangle. They will not be able to share alignment with you because your path of purpose requires a measure of sacrifice and discipline they do not currently possess.
The 80 on the battlefield of society that are ‘just targets’ are the falcons who have elevated their life past pleasure and are now pursuing happiness. These are good people but pursing happiness is ultimately a self-serving venture. In addition, happiness, like pleasure, is dictated by external events that determine the experience of these people. Chasing happiness is like grabbing water; the harder we grip the less we get.
People who are trying to ‘be happy’ are often deeply unhappy and unfulfilled because sustainable feelings of well-being only come from service to people and projects that are larger than ourselves. This is the ancient and bitter truth pill in every wisdom source in history. These masses of good people may be part of your community but they will never be part of your honor-based tribe because they haven’t advanced to the understanding that the pursuit of service and meaning is the only path that makes the adversity of life that makes sense and provides fulfillment.
The 9 “real fighters” are your falcons. They are the ones whom “we are lucky to have for they make the battle”. Realize that the battle that Heraclitus was really talking about was not a conflict against other armies but a struggle against chaos itself. This is your battle. Whether it be holding the center of your family together through adversity or guiding your work team to freedom and meaning this is war that has come to your gates. You are the one to bring the others back.
You are the tribe leader who will bring all the lone-wolf falcons spinning through the pride-based storm back home to the belonging and success of kinship.
Are you ready to put on that heavy mantle? I propose that if you are reading this, you are. You have been called to lead and the call itself is your qualification. If you are willing, the map is waiting. That road map to tribe begins with creating alignment for your people.
As we begin to intentionally create that rock-solid foundation of your tribe, we will start next week with the big question: why does your tribe exist? This question unlocks the lighthouse of your family or work team and that guiding north star is known as vision.
Click here to watch the video of Step 3: Alignment and Becoming the Falconer Who Brings the Others Home
Leaders must write and speak
Answer these questions in your journal by really writing them down. Discuss them with at least one of your most important people and really listen to their response.
Who are the ‘9 fighters’ in your life that ‘make the battle’?
You probably don’t feel like a real Tribe Leader. Most of us don’t and there is an inadequacy-driven imposter syndrome hidden deep in all of us. You are absolved.
Remember this: leadership is action not position. Can you own that you have actions you can take to pull your tribe together? Share this vulnerable truth with your 9 real fighters. You’ll be surprised by their response.
Ubuntu,
Philip Folsom