Lesson – 4,3 - SGL-Secrets.com

lesson 4,3

Decision
Color

Identifies your
genetic Colour code
through a few simple questions, and your SGL position
on the Decision Tree.

Decision
Axes

Determines your Strength–Shadow axes
in relation to
Carl Gustav Jung’s
mental “iceberg” compass.

Decision
Functional

Describes our natural Functional role,
and your placement as either Warrior or Helper
in the universal chessboard of life.

Secret: 4

the secret of chess

Two archetypes in lotus position,
over a chessboard.
This stylised illustration visualises
not only a game – it illustrate the cultural roots of two opposing, yet mutually dependent personalities engaged
in strategic interplay.
Just like leadership itself / Secrets 6-10

Artist unknown / Origin:
Eastern European chess poster art, ca. 1970–1980

Functional Role: The Final Piece of Your Decision Profile

Your functional role is the final piece in understanding your personal decision profile.
From your own experience, you know that you have natural talents and inclinations — abilities that have always drawn you toward certain types of tasks or challenges. This has always been the case. Throughout history, people have been recognised and described by their strongest functional qualities.
Some have been kind, loyal, and dependable workers. Others, wise and caring mentors — teachers, priests, and sages.
Some have stood out as independent, creative, and unconventional types — artists, rebels, or entrepreneurs.
Still others have been drawn to competition, power, and status — fighters in the broadest sense of the word.
In chess metaphors, these two broad categories are referred to as “Helpers”(H) and “Warriors/Fighets” (W)

♟️ Chess, Archetypes

🕉 From Vedic India to Chessboard and Leadership

This striking artwork, depicting two chess players seated in a lotus position, evokes more than just the game itself. It subtly reflects both the ancient spiritual roots of chess and its power as a visual metaphor for human strategy and relational dynamics.
The two figures—composed of contrasting patterns and locked in quiet focus—can be seen as archetypal opposites: different leadership styles, personality types, or decision-making orientations. Together, they create a balance. And in that balance, we glimpse something deeper: a mirror of ourselves, our cultures, and our roles in the systems we inhabit
Leadership and chess, it turns out, share more than one might assume. Every piece—and every leader—has a role to play. In the SGL Method for:
(Supervision – Groups – Leadership), this metaphor becomes a practical model. We identify four strategic leadership profiles, each aligned with the inner logic of the chessboard.
But to understand this, we must look our way back.

The roots of chess stretch deep into antiquity. The game we know today evolved from Chaturanga, an Indian war game dating back to the Vedic period (1500–500 BCE). This early version mirrored not just military structure but also the foundational social framework of Indian society: the varna system, a four-part division of functional roles—or “colors”—within the culture, from which the King and Queen could be exalted, elected or installed. – These varnas included:

1. Brahmins – priests and teachers
2. Kshatriyas – warriors and rulers
3. Vaishyas – merchants, artisans, and farmers
4. Shudras – servants and labourer’s

It takes little imagination to see how these societal roles echo in the archetypal chess pieces:

Bishop / Brahmins → the spiritual and ideological guide.
Rock / Kshatriyas → the defenders and enforcers.
Knight / Vaishyas → the builders of the economy, art and the ground game.
Pawn / Shudras → vital, loyal, often underestimated.

More about SGL TeamRoles: Secret 6

♟ Archetypes on the Board

Chess thus becomes a living symbol of universal human roles. The archetypes of the chessboard are not random; they are inherited, cross-cultural blueprints for human function. We use them—consciously or not—to understand ourselves and others. They shape how we attribute meaning, project identity, and define leadership
At SGL, we draw on this deep cultural inheritance to reveal the timeless structures in human character. Through the metaphor of the board, we uncover leadership’s hidden architecture—both ancient and profoundly relevant.
Chess, then, is not merely a game. It’s a dialogue between types, a dance of intention and foresight. It teaches us that strategy is not about domination, but about alignment of roles, sacrifice for vision, and knowing when to act—and when to wait.

🌍Self-test: What Describes You Best? - Warrior or Helper?

Choose the statement that best fits your natural tendencies — in your own eyes and in the eyes of others:

If I’m drawn to responsibility, moral clarity, results, and core principles that I believe are important for the world,
then I am likely to be a Warrior (W) — in a small or large sense. (Rock or Knight)
If I am inspired by generosity, idealism, and the feeling that doing good for others nourishes me,
then I am likely to be a Helper (H)— in a small or large sense. ( Bishop or Pawn )

The Rook

ROCK

is a rational blue Warrior-

ROCK

DECISION COLOR: Blue AXIS / Thinking - TF FUNCTIONAL: Warrior DECISION: Risk Securing

KNIGHT

is an innovative purple Warrior.

KNIGHT

DECISION COLOR: Purple AXIS / Intuition - SI FUNCTIONAL: Warrior DECISION: Risk Willing

BISHOP

is a wise red Helper

BISHOP

DECISION COLOR: Red AXIS / Sensing - SI FUNCTIONAL: Helper DECISION: Risk Strong

The Pawn

PAWN

is a loyal yellow Helper