Leadership Lessons from the Great Pyramids - PART 1 of 2
Evidence uncovered by Faunal experts Redding and Lehner
prove it…
It was not slaves who built the great pyramids. It was
gangs of motivated, dedicated, and well organized
individuals who had a purpose…
…And over 4500 years later, when viewing the astonishing
accomplishments of the great pyramid builders through
modern Directive Communication psychology, we find
patterns. And the pyramids themselves conceal a mysterious
code that illuminates the force of superior leadership.
The illuminating wealth of this systematic leadership
proficiency was developed over centuries. It took hundreds
of years to perfect, but only one dynasty to destroy.
The first pyramids were built inside mountains or were
crude structures that withered with time, the skill had not
yet been developed to erect the timeless monuments which
still stand today.
Yet, as architects and planners came up with new ideas for
better structures, the skill to implement these ideas had
to be cultivated. And so it was.
The foundations of Pyramid building was founded in skill
Yet, as theses skills developed, stronger structures were
built. But, they took a long time to construct and were not
very significant. They had a good appearance, but lacked in
function and durability. They had no where near the
prominence of the great pyramids. They were mediocre.
One of the more important Pyramid Failures can give an
insight to organizational breakdown in a structural
metaphor. This was the Pyramid at Meidum built for Pharaoh
Seneferu. Today it lays in ruins and toppled blocks. This
early attempt failed because of one simple factor that
skilled stonework had not yet foreseen. Each of the carved
stones were laid as individual blocks, with one piled on
top of the other. These gave way to earthquakes and strong
weather conditions over time and the structure fell apart.
Since Skill was the foundation of progress, it needed to be
further developed. So leaders and architects directed and
supervised the development of the structures.
It wasn’t till later that the Egyptians learned that by
slanting the stones inward toward the center of the
structure that things changed. The structure supported
itself.
So the architects knew this must have been a sign from
Amenhotep (the Egyptian god of architecture and
construction) and it was revealed to them that skill was
not enough. The teams of people who built these structures
needed more, they needed to support each other and not work
as a collection of individuals, but as a group with a
purpose.
The discovery that skill was not enough
With skill, people were working as individuals. And as
individuals, were primarily driven by personal motives, the
payment they would receive, how much time they needed to
work, how many days off they would get, what was going on
at home while they were working. To develop the cohesive
structure the Pyramid needed to be, they needed to develop
a cohesive workforce first. They needed to develop the
cohesive “Attitude”
So the Pharaoh’s planners and architects set out to
cultivate this “Attitude” that was a message from the
heavens.
According to Lehner, Egyptian society maintained a Social
order that required everybody, no matter what rank, to owe
service to the people above them. This was known as “Bak”.
Today’s employees owe service to their organization because
they receive a salary. It doesn’t guarantee they will do a
good job. In the same light, “Bak” was only a means to
recruit people for construction, not for the formation of a
superior workforce with mind-set to create an edifice that
will last thousands of years.
Think about it, it’s a project that’s only used when your
boss is dead. And then, as long as it’s standing while
you’re still alive, it looks like you and your colleges
have done a great job.
So why put in the extra effort?
A modern study at Stanford University took the most
successful people in various vocations and made a startling
discovery. Across 100 of the studied vocations, it seemed
that most successful people in those professions attributed
only about 20% of their success to skill. The study quoted
“the primary reason for extraordinary success is due to
Attitude, not skill”. The top sales people recognized only
14% of their success was due to skill, the rest was
attitude. The top structural engineers, in a very skill
based profession, indicated that only 22% was skill, the
rest was attitude.
So how did the Egyptians cultivate the attitudes required
to manifest the great pyramids?
The secret lies in expectation and reciprocity.
Bak was expected from everybody. The reward for Bak was
that someone below you would give you back some Bak (and
even the lowest ranks had “someone” below them at one
point). Just like a job, you are expected to work and your
reward is a paycheck. So when people started to feel they
got something extra, more than was expected, their
psychology changed. They WANTED to do a better job, they
wanted to “Reciprocate” the extra value they were getting.
There were the normal actions like defrayed taxes (there
was no money system at the time) and extra free time for
segments of the population that could not spend in their
homes or farms due to the annual flooding of the Nile. But
that wasn’t enough.
The leaders looked at the situation and came up with a
solution - Food.
Pharaoh deemed massive amounts of clover fed cattle to be
cultivated for the purpose of feeding the workers the
tastiest, finest beef to be found on the continent. Workers
were fed like royalty.
This served two purposes:
1. It gave the workers a sense of importance and
significance. They ate only the best and felt appreciated
in the process
2. It provided a superior source of protein to make the
workers stronger which in turn provided better performance.
And they also felt better about themselves and their
increased ability
In the context of today’s organizations, this is NOT the
equivalent of giving more money or increasing salary. Back
then it was physical strength that created a “better man”.
Today it’s the mental strength that is most precious. The
opportunity for individuals to develop their talents and
intellectual ability.
What was superior beef in Ancient Egypt, is now Superior
Training or Personal development in today’s business
environment.
An important thing to consider: if the workers were feed
the normal, not so tender beef, the effect wouldn’t have
been the same. Why? - because it WASN’T SPECIAL!
So if management decides to engage average trainers to save
money, they will actual be getting less psychological value
for money.     It is also essential to reinforce the extra
value.
For example a church in Singapore has risen to a parish of
over 18,000 members within a reasonably short time
partially because they often invite special preachers from
other countries to came and speak. They are quite upfront
that they pay these guests about S$20,000 for their
contribution, and the turnouts are tremendous. But that’s
not all, more people get the message and act on it, and it
grows the church at an exponential rate. If the workforce
knows the lengths, efforts, and even expense the company
goes through for the benefit of making them “Special” or
“The Best”, there will be a greater interest and
achievement for those efforts.
The result is an attitude that cultivates people working
together as groups with a strong sense of self worth.
Leaders do not need to direct or supervise; they need only
to give guidance (usually in the form of questions).
But…
…While this attitude was enough to build the smaller
Pyramids (like that of King Sneferu), the largest,
grandest, and the only of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
world still standing, with a height of 450 feet and 756
feet square: The Great Pyramid of Khufu, needed more than
just a great attitude.
Read more on PART 2
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Much of this article is based on the Directive
Communication Psychology developed by Arthur F Carmazzi.
For more information and articles, visit the Directive
Communication website at: http://directivecommunication.com
or Email Arthur at: afc@carmazzi.net
