Of all the things Kobe will be remembered for, one will certainly be his decision to identify his style as a Black Mamba snake. Leaders everywhere would do well to take this page from Kobe’s playbook. If you want to convey who you are, and do it memorably, find a spirit animal.
Kobe was an excellent storyteller and student of stories, and he knew a good metaphor when he saw it. As he told Kent Babb in The Washington Post, when he saw the snake in the movie “Kill Bill,” he was immediately taken with “The length, the snake, the bite, the strike, the temperament.” He saw in the snake a metaphor for himself: “I looked it up — yeah, that’s me. That’s me!” Babb quotes him as saying.
Kobe’s image of a Black Mamba snake crystallized his approach to dominance on the court and helped him clarity and inspire his fans and followers. As time went on, he built a whole mythology around his Mamba mentality. His on-court development of this image allowed him to separate his own self and personal identity as Kobe as the caring, supportive husband and father he wanted to be.
One of the essential jobs of leadership is to define the leader’s vision in a way that helps us—employees, customers, and potential customers—understand and believe in what they do. When we have a clear understanding of a leader’s values, approach, and mission, we’re likely to follow them, at least if we have a need or desire for what they offer. In short, we need to believe in them before we plunk down our money.
Yet, a surprising number of leaders are reluctant to define themselves. Most of them think that if they talk about themselves, they’re being arrogant. Many of my clients say, “well, the company isn’t really about me.” I’ve seen seasoned CEOs who have founded their own company, generated new and ongoing business for decades, and whose name is literally synonymous with the company, say that anyone could replace them.
False modesty is a fiction that hurts the leader as much as it hurts the company. If you can’t talk about yourself, you’re not likely to think about yourself. This lack of self-reflection alone can create the conditions for arrogance. If the CEO can’t tell you what this company believes in, who can? Employees can be left with a vague cult of personality and tend to dissolve into yes-types who aim to please the person rather than serve the mission.
Use Your Spirit Animal to Talk about Yourself
A spirit animal is a good way to talk about yourself without seeming self-centered. Good leaders use stories make ideas specific and memorable. Is your company trustworthy? Does your company have the financial or technical strength to do the job? How dedicated are your employees to serving the customer?
A spirit animal can answer all these questions. Although we like to think of emotions as uniquely human, animals often present clearer portraits of the emotions we want to have, and the feelings that motivate us to action. We intuitively identify personalities using animals. One guy might be a workhorse, another might be a wolf. One competitor might be a mild-mannered gecko, and another might be a deadly snake.
The Hartford insurance company has successfully used its logo for over 200 years as a literal representation of its name and also as an image of stateliness, stability in danger, and strength. The image depicts a stag crossing a stream, or in other words, a hart fording a river. People who want a strong, stable company for their insurance needs can take one look at the majestic logo to be reassured about what this company stands for.
The kindly, helpful, bearded beekeeper of Burt’s Bees offers another great example of a spirit animal. The warm yellow tones of their labels dotted with friendly bees convey a sense of warmth and soothing natural tones. People who want helpful, soothing products with natural ingredients trust Burt and his bees to deliver.
These animal images convey something essential about these companies. Finding an animal image of who you are when you are most successful will clarify your style. It’s a graceful way to talk about your strengths without saying it’s all about you.
Tips for Finding Your Spirit Animal
If you know how you want people to react to you emotionally, you can find an animal that represents you. Forget the obvious animals and do your best to find something specific, and maybe even exotic. Here are three tips for finding a spirit animal that help you convey your best characteristics.
- Know the characteristics you want to convey. Make a list of your strengths, the characteristics that help you be successful at what you do. If you’re not sure how to present your best traits, you can find a nice list of the strengths used by the Clifton StrengthFinder test or take the free Values in Action (VIA) test from authentichappiness.com.
- Avoid the obvious and get specific. Don’t pick the first animal that comes to mind. You’ll end up with something trite or obvious that doesn’t differentiate you, and differentiation is the whole point. Instead of a generic workhorse, Budweiser went for Clydesdales. Instead of a fox, Fjallraven, the activewear company, chose an arctic fox. The Geiko gecko not only conveys a mild-mannered, slightly geeky image, but also helps us remember the name of the company.
- Don’t limit yourself to an animal. A number, a plant, or any person, place, or thing can work. If you are inventing a company to organize the world’s information, would you call it Internet Explorer or Google? Google’s reference to a huge number and playful logo won the hearts and habits of far more users than the more expected Explorer by Microsoft. Be creative and inventive. Look everywhere for an image uniquely yours.
Remember, description is part of it. Capturing people’s imaginations is far more important. You want to feel like: “I looked it up — yeah, that’s me. That’s me!”