(Newswire.net — July 18, 2016) — Dov Baron is a leadership expert who works with c-suite executive groups around the world. So, when recently preparing for a group of high net worth family office principals, at historic Scone Palace in Scotland, he did what he always does for groups like this. Baron designed his presentation with the specific audience, and for this event, the grand setting in mind.
“Groups of senior executives, and in this case, high net worth individuals who are running family offices, are looking for thought provoking conversations more than canned speeches,” says Baron.
Baron is an example of the modern corporate speaker. Although high-level-conversation-facilitator might be a more accurate description. Corporate presenters have long drawn the ‘suntan’ comparison, for the relatively short-lasting effects on an organization on the receiving end of a canned motivational speech.
Today, the audience is more discerning. The most effective consultants and corporate speakers spend a great deal of time adapting core messages in a way that invites exploration and discussion amongst the group they’re invited to work with. So, when faced with the enticing prospect of following in the footsteps of royalty, Baron made full use of his surroundings.
Scone Palace was the place where Scottish kings were crowned for nearly 1000 years. It’s also the historic home to the Scone Stone, a mystical relic also known as The Coronation Stone. The Stone used in the coronation ceremonies of Scottish and English monarchs for centuries – most recently for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Baron designed a conversation on leadership and succession-planning around a theme of knights and monarchs, and what he describes as the 4 primary styles of personal conduct and leadership. They were introduced in the form of the Red Knight, the White Knight, the Green Knight and the Black Knight. He invited discussion and self-exploration by examining the persona represented by each of the colored knights. By developing a theme, Baron was able to introduce the strengths, weaknesses, emotional intelligence and driving forces specific to each knight in a novel and engaging way.
As an example the Red Knight is recognized by a fiery disposition and an ever-present undercurrent of anger. Though Baron says that for each of the colored knights and the personal styles they represent, it’s never all good or all bad. The Red Knight may be fixing for a fight, but along with his fiery disposition comes passion and a willingness to take a stand. From a leadership perspective there can be tremendous value in being able to tap into that fire and passion, however on the downside it has its limitations.
“Red Kings are also notorious for pushing out good people and for using fear as the primary motivator,” Baron explained.
“The main point is that each of the colored knights-each of their personal styles, has limitations, but they all have their own emotional intelligence. To lead effectively we need to be able to draw on the emotional intelligence of each of the 4 knights,” he says.
Not surprisingly, Baron says the evocative images of knights and kings resonated with the group present at Scone Palace, some of whom were members of the European aristocracy themselves.
“The chivalric theme definitely resonated with the group, and it was something they referred back to throughout their 4-day meeting,” said Baron.
Baron’s session was the opening session for the Next Generation HNW Leaders event in Scotland. The fact his theme was able to re-emerge days after it was presented suggests a potential for the staying power of his message – perhaps even longer than a suntan.