Dr. April Kinkead, Professor of English at Blinn College, presented about religious rhetoric and its impact on our lives during the season of peace. She is amazing and actually blew my socks off. There was so much in her presentation, it will take me years to share the content. However, today I want to share this bit about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.

This is very important to understand if you want to be an Authentic Leader. The first step in becoming an authentic leader is to know yourself, your team and your customer. Many of us assume that all people are on the same page, that we all know what we are speaking about. However, if you look at the allegory of the cave, you will notice several different stages of awareness.

PlatoCave Perception

Stage 1: The prisoners who have been limited in their world view by only being exposed to the bottom of the cave. Their only realities are the shadows on the wall as they cannot move their bodies, heads, or mouths. All they know to be true is what is being projected in front of them.

Many of us are prisoners and are not aware of it. We have been programmed to believe certain things which have become our Truth. We adopt these ideas without ever questioning them.

Here is a simple example: I was raised in a Crest toothpaste family. We only used Crest. It was all I knew. When I was in Germany as an Exchange student, my mom had to send me Crest because I thought my teeth would fall out if I used anything else.

Stage 2: The puppeteers on the ledge. They know the shadows are but shadows of their puppets. They believe that the only source of light is the fire. Their only awareness is what is on the level of the puppets.

In keeping with the example, my parents, didn’t even realize that they were programming me with this belief about Crest toothpaste. Yet, they were the puppeteers buying and presenting the toothpaste with no other options. I did not know of anyone else who used anything but Crest. However, as I moved up the level of perception, I realized that there was another brand — Colgate. The German family was using it, their teeth were still intact. So I risked using it.

Stage 3: The person proceeds out of the cave into the vast world. At this point their worldview has expanded into a new world of unlimited possibility.

Accordingly, as I grew older and went to the store for myself, I found a whole new world of toothpaste. It was huge. I researched them, tried them, and now I have three brands that I use. I am now free to use whatever toothpaste I choose.

Once you know these stages, it is important to assess your own knowing in each area of your life. Where are the blinders in your life? What are the shadows you believe to be Truth? Which are the puppets and who are the puppeteers? What is the biggest and broader perspective? What is possible?

Once you know this about yourself, you can proceed to ask questions and to gently educate your staff and your clients to expand their worldview. Not by shaming them or making them feel stupid but by guiding them up the path to a deeper and broader understanding of who they are and how you/your company may serve them.

Awakening to some of these shadows is part of the upcoming AWE Conference, November 5th. (See here for more information.) This will be an amazing event of self-discovery and empowerment. I hope you decide to invest in yourself and begin a transformational journey of a life time.