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It feels like a relevant metaphor for the parts of ourselves that keep pushing on, even when the conditions have changed. The loyal soldier keeps doing their job long after the original danger has passed. I saw this repeatedly in corporate life. Teams full of capable people weren’t struggling because they lacked intelligence or strategy - it was because they were often operating from self-protection. Meetings became performances, disagreement felt risky and busyness became a way of avoiding uncertainty. And the loyal soldier loves to be busy protecting us. The result? Cultures that looked productive on the surface but were often driven more by fear than by trust and creativity. Most of us learn strategies that help us stay safe, loved and included - ‘be useful’, ‘don’t be a burden’ or maybe ‘be impressive enough that nobody questions your worth’. The important thing is that these strategies worked as they helped us adapt. But sometimes the loyal soldier keeps fighting a battle that has already ended so it’s time to stand them down. This is part of the work I now do with leaders and teams - helping people notice the patterns that once protected them but may now be limiting trust, creativity and connection. And it’s why the theme of our next Longer Table gathering feels so timely: Belonging. Because so much of modern life teaches us that belonging is something we earn through performance. I’m interested in creating spaces where we can practise something different - arriving as ourselves, rather than as the version of ourselves we think others need.
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