Leadership Lessons from Tarot: Archetypes I Channel in My Role

I’m a senior producer who reads tarot — and honestly? The archetypes help.

They’re not just mystical symbols. They’re energetic templates — powerful reminders I tap into when steering teams, navigating delivery, or guiding projects through chaos and clarity.

Tarot helps me read the room, read the moment, and read myself.

Here’s how these archetypes translate to real-world leadership in tech, gaming, and creative production:

🛡 The Emperor — Structure. Authority. Leadership.

When the roadmap is shaky or ambiguity is blocking delivery, I step into Emperor mode. He’s the project backbone: setting up delivery frameworks, defining roles, holding firm boundaries, and bringing order from chaos.

In practice: Sprint rituals, RACI clarity, production cadences, process audits.

In tech teams: Empowering decision-making clarity.

In games: Structuring live ops pipelines, aligning cross-functional teams.

🌙 The High Priestess — Intuition. Inner Knowing. Subtext.

This archetype holds space for what isn’t being said. I lean on her during 1:1s, retros, or when there’s tension that metrics don’t reveal.

In practice: Spotting burnout before it hits. Sensing team morale dips. Reading stakeholder energy.

In tech teams: Interpersonal tuning during scale-ups or restructuring.

In games: Navigating creative tension between vision and delivery.

🪄 The Magician — Execution. Translation. Alchemy.

The Magician turns concept into reality — like a great producer or product lead. When I’m aligning stakeholders, framing pitches, or translating vision into actionable sprints, I’m working his magic.

In practice: Shaping initiatives. Aligning tech and design goals.

In tech teams: Enabling engineering to meet product creatively.

In games: Bridging creative direction with delivery constraints.

🌀 The Fool — Trust. Leap. New Journeys.

The Fool teaches that you don’t need certainty to start — just presence and faith. I embody him in launch moments, new projects, or when onboarding new teammates.

In practice: Starting before everything’s “ready.” Embracing failure as learning.

In tech teams: Kicking off discovery phases.

In games: Prototyping wild ideas without attachment.

🛞 The Chariot — Momentum. Focus. Determination.

When teams are stalled, I become the Chariot — channeling drive, reminding us of the why, and re-energizing the sprint.

In practice: Mid-sprint resets, unblocking standstills, energizing retros.

In tech teams: Reframing goals to reengage devs.

In games: Delivering under high-pressure live deadlines.

✨ The Star — Inspiration. Renewal. Hope.

Delivery needs optimism. The Star reminds me to uplift when morale is down — after a tough QA cycle or a missed milestone.

In practice: Naming wins. Celebrating progress. Reconnecting to the bigger picture.

In tech teams: Vision reminders during debt work.

In games: Reigniting creative joy after crunch.

📜 The Hierophant — Process. Ritual. Shared Language.

When a team needs stability, I turn to the Hierophant. He brings wisdom through systems and structure.

In practice: Codifying team agreements. Uplevelling sprint planning.

In tech teams: Documenting workflows.

In games: Building repeatable live ops cadences.

💞 The Lovers — Alignment. Synergy. Choice.

Leadership is about relationships. I use this card when hiring, facilitating team alignment, or helping resolve tension.

In practice: Co-creating values. Aligning personal purpose with team goals.

In tech teams: Navigating tough prioritisation calls.

In games: Helping design + product fall in sync.

🪦 Death — Transformation. Letting Go. Renewal.

The most misunderstood card — and one of the most powerful. I step into Death’s energy when we need to release what's no longer serving us.

In practice: Sunsetting features. Ending rituals that don’t work. Rethinking roadmaps.

In tech teams: Killing tech debt via refactor resets.

In games: Letting go of old player engagement strategies.

Tarot doesn’t predict outcomes. It mirrors what is.

And in leadership — especially in delivery, tech, or game production — having a vocabulary for energetic archetypes can help you lead more intentionally, more empathetically, and more holistically.

Next time you're facing a production crisis, team low, or strategic fork in the road — pause.

Ask:

✨ What archetype does this moment need?

✨ What energy needs to come through me to lead?

Because leadership isn’t just about tools. It’s also about tuning in.

These aren’t just cards. They’re frequencies I lead from. Tarot helps me lead not just with logic, but with awareness — of energy, rhythm, and relational impact. In tech, where people often focus on systems and sprints, I bring the sacred back into strategy.