To Stereotype or Archetype, that is the Question

Scene 1 – Joe is an extraordinary employee, with skill and knowledge required by any standard corporate unaware that in one of the small apartments in Bangalore someone is building a Software which will replace him. Joe is not aware that he’s becoming a commodity with no upgradations. Once you are a commodity, chances are you get replaced.

Scene -2 The management of MBA College is touring me about the additions in infrastructure. While the news of “Stanford University plans offering a free Online MBA” is still ringing in my head.

Scene -3 1000’s of teachers are unaware that they have been replaced by Khan academy.

Scene – 4 Alok in Vapi (Industrial city in Gujarat), who has been in conflict with his employees recently shifted his factory base. Ten 3-D printer’s, 20 CNC’s & 20 employees. Retiring 300 employees.

If you are a stereotype you will get replaced. To be stereotype or archetype is not a question. Archetype is a Hobson’s choice.

The biggest barrier people have to get from being a stereotype to archetype is learning. Initially, learning that they are a stereotype; then learning to accept the shock. Later, learning to change who they are. Learning is a process where shackles of the past have to be shaken and broken. Well, it doesn’t stop here. Obviously to learn to keep learning so that you are updated enough. Learning a new mindset, skillset and attitude. sounds like a hell of a task. Yes, it is. And it needs a lot of work, at least understanding your own mindset and capacity and accordingly change your learning pattern.

The stereotype fixed mindset has to confront diverging paths. Obviously, you are not prepared if you are obstinate that you won’t change. So the preparation of archetype is not to learn everything under the sun but to keep a mindset to learn without external motivation. You upgrade if you don’t want someone else to replace you.That’s motivating enough. Stereotypes are resistant to change. They stay in an illusionary world. A gentleman was explaining me in the waiting room of a dental clinic how e-commerce is going to extinct one day. How his business is going to peak again. This Resistance of change does not assure a good future either. Carol Dweck a leading psychologist explains about mindsets as “The fixed mindset stands in the way of change. The growth mindset is a starting point for change, but people need to decide for themselves where their efforts toward change would be most valuable.”

Archetype knows that change is just around the corner and I must resort to a different strategy. Stereotype usually wait for the command, direction or someone to try it first. Even though it’s no wrong to be a stereotype, they for sure have a small shelf life. Technically “Archetype will use the template as a starting place, and stereotype uses it as the end point”(Source not traceable)

It’s January 19, 2012, morning hours at Kodak the world renowned company with 140,000 employees is about to declare bankruptcy. In a similar time frame, Facebook is in talks to buy Instagram and its 13 employees at $1 billion. Sometimes no connection is seen between the disruptive technology which the archetypes uses but one fine day they take over the stereotype. Blink and a 100-year-old robust company gone. What went wrong? Kodak didn’t disrupt itself. Archetypes disrupt themselves continuously. Archetype is original after that who follows are modeled. An original doesn’t mean first. Google was the 60th search engine, but Page Rank Algorithm was original.

Stereotypes procrastinate. They want to be perfect ‘before we launch’. Archetype know it’s going to stay in the beta version for long may be forever. Stereotypes don’t go and take action on what supposedly changing rather they are busy firefighting what is in hand. An archetype, on the other hand, is very action oriented. Stereotypes have an analog mindset. A Mindset to follow orders waiting for authority to tell what to do next. Archetype with a digital mindset trespasses the hierarchy ladder. Hierarchy is getting increasingly absurd.

Archetypes are collaborative in nature, Usually don’t think “People will copy my idea, or I will do it all alone”. Let me be clear ideas are cheap implementation matters. Stereotypes have a lot of ideas and a lot of reasons why these ideas don’t work. They counter every new idea with a pragmatic failure. Archetype are ready to upgrade. Sarvesh is working on new Business venture, had to iterate his idea continuously and ongoing. How the idea has evolved from a practical problem to a platform is amazing to see. On the other hand, Ravi (name changed) brings an old rigid idea. Stereotypes are adamant when it comes to upgrading. They are laggards. They are the type of people who get a smartphone because there is no other available or mostly because even housemaid has a smartphone.

Archetype disrupt their own ideas and concepts. walk on the hard path of managing self. Disruption is a continuous affair for them. Stereotypes, on the other hand, wait for disruption and many times don’t even accept that they have been disrupted.

Even though Archetype looks very idealistic they are not always the Howard Roark. A mindset of both Archetype and stereotype coexist in every human being. when asked how he makes such beautiful David of marble? Michelangelo said, “David already was in the marble. I have just chipped off what is not David” What we have to do is get rid of what is stereotype within us.

References

Mindset: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential

The Story of Kodak

3D Printing: Rise of the Third Industrial Revolution (Gyges 3D Presents)

Overcoming Procrastination, the Thief of Time

Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid the Traps, Create Unity and Reap Big Results

Michelangelo and Other Stories

About the Author

Guruprasad Shivakamat

Learning addict. Speaker. Writer. Thought designer. Senior Psychologist and Trainer at Hope Doctors

Co-founder (Metamorphosis, Innovationadda). Author of GRIP™ why people don’t do what they want to.

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