Halloween specialThe legend of the dark king

Once upon a time there was a king who ruled the land from his lofty castle.

He was clever, assertive – and feared.

When he spoke, no one dared to contradict him.

His gaze was cold, his words as sharp as a sword.

It was whispered in the villages that the king had his ears everywhere and would punish every word against him severely. The castle dungeon was indeed full and at night you could hear the wailing and moaning from the cells.

And so the subjects carried out their work in silence – always bent over and full of fear of their ruler’s wrath.

Over the years, the kingdom became more and more of a silent, cold place. More and more inhabitants fled and hardly any travelers strayed into the inhospitable land.

One day, a traveling scholar came to the country.

He asked to be admitted to the castle and said: “Your Majesty, I do not bring gifts, but riddles, wisdom and stories from afar.”

Curious – and perhaps a little lonely – the king let him go.

Night after night, they talked. About trust, about fear, about power.

And about the difference between obedience and loyalty. The scholar asked the king many a puzzling question that made him think and doubt his previous rule.

With each conversation, a piece of the invisible armor that the king had worn for so long fell away. He learned to listen, to question and to recognize himself.

And one morning he opened the castle gates.

He went out to his people, spoke to them, listened to their concerns – and their ideas.

For the first time in years, music could be heard in the streets.

The land blossomed and people said that even the sun shone brighter over the castle.

Now replace in your mind:

• King by managing director or manager,
• Castle through executive floor,
• Villagers through employees,
• and the traveling scholar through interim change managers or leadership coaches.

Then you will recognize:

This story is not a legend.

It plays out every day – in companies that are facing up to cultural change.