CAPTAIN
“ I wanna be clear to those who lead this department about who you will serve. Your loyalty is not to me. It’s to the law, the Constitution, the people of this nation, to guarantee justice. “
- President Joe Biden, 46th President of the United States of America, in his speech after the protesters entered Capitol Hill
THE CAPTAIN ARCHETYPE
The core of any business, institution, organisation or community requires a solid cornerstone that can be trusted and tried in both favourable and adverse times. The Captain archetype is a consensus-building moderator, a collaborative and trusted team player who puts their community and colleagues first.
The Captain’s actions speak louder than their words. They pull their weight and others too when the occasion calls for leadership through stability and integrity. The Captain is a lodestone who can be trusted to point towards true North in any storm or difficulty.
The Captain Mindset
The discipline and determination of a Captain does not derive from personal pursuits or ambition but rather a dedication towards an ideal that defines their purpose. Captains rarely seek glory and fame, but their trusted household name becomes well-known to their colleagues, associates, and other stakeholders.
First and foremost, the selflessness, humility, and amiability of the Captain aids in creating strong and stable relationships both in public and private life. When meeting a Captain, they notice what you have achieved and can achieve–but more importantly, they are interested in what you are made of.
Their ability to connect makes them excellent in roles that require moderation between two or more disputing parties. For example, they can smooth relations by tempering belligerent attitudes by finding a middle ground that is reasonable and acceptable to all.
This consideration and attention paid to personality and purpose foster a feeling of trustworthiness of the Captain. In essence, they understand the various characters and hues that make us human.
“ The team was not selfish. And I had, for example, one situation where we had two possible captains for the team, and they wanted to give the captaincy to each other. These were two homegrown players, two local boys. Vítor Baía and Jorge Costa. And both think, “You should be the captain; I don’t want to be the captain because you are a better captain than me.”
When I heard that, I was feeling, “I don’t need to be worried.” That connection is here. They were ready to do anything. So the boys… they went to the limits. “
- Coach José Mourinho describing the football team FC Porto, which won the Portuguese League Cup and Champions League in 2004
Captains are connectors
Captains are often turned to for resources, ideas, help, tasks, or just a good chat. The accessibility of the Captain in any situation lends them credibility that allows them to connect their colleagues to the common goals. Their dedication shows that they have adopted the mission in the core of their being; it’s not just a tune on their tongues, but a reality realised in their heart.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
CAPTAIN
STRENGTHS
Team-driven leadership mindset
The Captain is well aware that they are not the most proficient and all-knowing. With a genuine sense of interest, the Captain acquaints himself with the strengths of each member of the team and how they can fulfil their role to their best capacity. ‘The Chain is no stronger than its weakest link’–maxim covers well the Captains approach towards leadership.
Humility
To foster an air of collaboration and cooperation, the Captain works to withdraw their ego as an antagonistic element that might hinder communication between team members. To know another person, you have to listen to them first. That means putting your ego aside for the moment and seeing eye to eye on issues that might divide.
Integrity
The Captain leads not for himself but the sake of a larger cause. Their dedication and diligence to play for the team build a character of integrity—the team trust a Captain’s confident lead creating results in a timely, consistent and predictable manner.
CAPTAIN WEAKNESSES
Lack of recognition
Since a Captain sets aside his ego and adopts a sense of selflessness, the dedication to the mission and their humility can come at a loss of personal ambitions and gains. Therefore, alongside their great low-ego qualities, the Captain needs to cultivate a healthy dose of positive selfishness, such as being credited and being more transactional with personal upside.
Risk-Averse, Comfort Zone driven.
The risk-averse stability keeps the Captain in their comfort zone. Often this is perfectly enough for the Captain and their organisation, leading to a steady, consistent execution. However, the potential flip side is that there is a lack of innovation, and the captain themself don’t take the needed steps in self-growth to expand their potential.
Stalled career development
The Captain is modest by default and often enjoys keeping things on the tracks while executing someone else’s vision. Accordingly, it is often outside their comfort zone to make themselves more visible to receive recognition or promotion.
CONCLUSION
Eventually, it’s only two things keeping you at bay: Your Fears and your Beliefs.
Receiving the Captain profile in this survey is just another indication that you are on the right path. Yet, it’s just the beginning.
The Captain’s way to operate is a two-edged sword in the context of a competitive professional world. While the Captain’s way is often the right thing to do: they create sustainable results and receive great feedback. But, at the same time, their excellence may remain invisible, and their personal development and growth stalled. As a result, captains often need to make a special effort to step up and accelerate their career development, personal growth and ventures outside their comfort zone.
The Good news is…
Captains are usually very coachable. They appreciate that the coaching is built on collaboration and cooperation. Captain recognises their potential, and they are ready for action with a trusted coach. Usually, this takes the coaching into concrete results promptly.
Book a call if you are open for a zero-pressure discussion where I can listen and find out if I can add value to you or not.
Learn more about the Eight Archetypes
The Eight Archetypes are distributed in four different spheres where Seekers lead the need to change, Builders are here to manifest, Connectors to connect, and Leaders to lead.
The Seeker sphere introduces the two archetypes of the Healer and the Activist. The second group of Builders hosts the Designer and the Engineer archetypes. The third level is the group of the Connectors - the Captain and the Dealmaker. The fourth level introduces the Leader archetypes: the Alpha Leader and the Omega Leader.
