Episode 109: True Leadership Training Starts with the Self, with Alan Stevens
In Episode 109 of The Business Habitat podcast, Sam is joined by Alan Stevens, International Profiling and Communications Specialist and Founder of the Campfire Project, a group dedicated to creating a safe space for people, and particularly men, to come together to support each other as they work to build stronger relationships, families and community.
In this thought-provoking conversation, Sam and Alan delve into the silent epidemic of mental health disorders and how it connects into business. They discuss the evolution of the corporate world and recognise the importance of accepting that people are emotional beings, rejecting the traditional belief of leaving personal problems at the door.
Alan talks to the frustration and confusion experienced by so many men today, as a result of changing roles. Alan’s experience of this led to the creation of The Campfire Project, a closed group with invitations extended to both men and women. With members now covering seven continents, Alan focusses on the importance of safety and ensuring that participants grow into the space by starting with 1:1 interviews and evolving into more open group conversations.
With suicide statistics showing a disproportionate number of men struggling with their mental health, Alan emphasises the need for better modelling for boys growing into manhood. Sam relates this to the current political climate in Australia and the continuing lack of leadership in the upper echelons of government.
Offering practical solutions to real world problems, Sam and Alan discuss the need for better leadership training both in business and personal lives. They talk to the tendency for leadership training to be upside down, with an emphasis on corporate leadership, rather than commencing with working on the self. Promoting the idea that if we learn to lead ourselves first and then lead the team, then we can allow the team to lead the business, freeing up time to work on the business, rather than in it.
This compelling conversation covers a lot of ground and speaks to topics prevalent in the world today. It is not to be missed.
Listen to an excerpt
What we cover in this episode
The Campfire Project
Business as a community
Why is there no international men’s day for the ones who are doing the work
The importance of open, honest, respectful conversation
Building safety by starting 1:1 conversation
Normalising the hard conversations
The mental health scale
We are emotional beings
How the patriarchy system is hurting men
Being the best version of yourself
Alan’s tips for creating a safe environment in business
Quotes
“There’s 197 days that the UN has acknowledged as international days, there’s ones there for women, there’s ones for children, there’s one for families etc, for all the different groups out there, but there is not one for men and there is not one for boys“ - Alan
“I know that the hard work is actually the internal work and the soft work, and that’s the tough courageous work, but I don’t think many people really collate that“ - Sam
“You’re on the mental health scale, same as every other person on the planet. It just depends on which end you’ve slid to today” - Alan
“There’s an old saying that a problem shared is a problem halved. No it’s not, a problem shared but not acted upon is a problem multiplied. A problem shared that is acted upon is a problem that’s halved, and in a lot of cases, totally dissipated. “ - Alan
“People keep saying that men aren’t emotional. We are highly emotional…we don’t know how to handle it. We haven’t had the training in that. This is where women beat us hands down because you all talk to each other, you all share things, you allow your emotions to be shared. You get into the emotional empathy.“ - Alan
“We’ve got all these people trying to be THE man, or THE women instead of being A man or A woman. Because when you’re trying to be THE, you’re in competition with everybody else around you, and that’s a problem, because everybody is fighting for first place.“ - Alan
“Everything worthwhile starts in very very small consistent persistent steps. One step at a time and that is the law of it. Don’t try and fight it. Everything that you want to build.“ - Sam
Links
Alan Stevens website