A recent article from the Harvard Business Review by Hortense le Gentil suggested that leaders should stop trying to be heroes (or heroines). I am not sure the universe is through with heroes and heroines just yet, in any sphere of life, including business organisations.
When Valdimir Putin invaded Ukraine, a former comedian emerged as an unlikely hero. Volodymyr Zelenskky, the newly installed President of the Ukraine, has courageousy rallied his own people to defend their country with as much resolve and courage as they can muster. As the Russians advanced, it became clear he was in great personal danger. The US offered him asylum. He and his family could have fled. They have not. Zelenskky stayed, inspiring not only his own people but millions of people across the planet.
Even though the idea of ‘heroism’ or ‘the hero’ have been with us for thousands of years, many people think of a particular male stereotype valiantly cutting swathes through the ‘enemy’ as his troops follow him into battle and possible death. However, heroism is much more complicated and nuanced than the strong man stereotype. The three consistent qualities of heroes are that they act morally, they have commitment and they have courage. When we think of heroes and heroines we often forget that morality is a core characteristic. Without morality, heroism morphs into tyranny.
From the earliest times, heroes have almost always been described as flawed characters. The ancient story of the Greek ‘hero’ Achilles is a case in point. Achilles was acclaimed as a strong, skilled warrior who valiantly led his troops into a very drawn out conflict to retrieve Helen, then regarded as the most beautiful woman in the ancient world. Although married to King Menelaus, Helen was seduced by Paris, a Trojan prince, who took her to the city of Troy. King Menelaus summoned his Greek allies and they laid siege to Troy in a war that lasted for more than ten years.
Achilles earned great praise, but he did not believe he was getting his due, and unless his personal demands were met, he refused to fight. His refusal stretched into months and years. In despair, his dear friend and companion, Patroclus, impersonated Achilles and led a determined group of men into battle. Patroclus was killed. Grief stricken and enraged, Achilles charged back into the fray, with great brutality but eventually contributing to the defeat of the Trojans. However, he too lost his life, as forewarned by the Gods would happen.
Many of us may remember the legend of, Achilles, but few of us know of the real hero, Patroclus, a gentle soul who practised medicine and was compelled to do what Achilles refused to do, not by hubris, but by love. It was anger that drove Achilles, but he had lost his dearest friend as a result of his own intransigence. It is a story that shows heroism is no simple matter of risk and bravery. It is about quite ordinary people performing quite extraordinary acts, as Patroclus did.
When we reflect on the nature of heroism, we can ask questions about what compels people to make sacrifices for achievement of the highest good. Researchers on heroism, Zeno Franco and Olivia Efthimiou, see heroism as the embodiment of actions that hold us to a high standard of caring for others, even at risk to ourselves. Heroism as an act of caring is not just the antithesis to the “strong man” model of the hero, it is the means of its eclipse.
Heroism is complex and paradoxical. Some of the greatest perpetrators of evil are often perceived by large numbers of their followers to be heroic, despite such leaders demonstrating little capacity for self-sacrifice, compassion and caring for others. There are valid arguments to be made about the distinctions between heroic and villainous leadership. Leaders who are motivated by material advantage or the accumulation of personal power are unlikely to be seen as heroic.
As moral action is the foundation of heroic leadership, the mountain of corporate scandals continues to grow as evidence that many leaders disqualify themselves from that honour. More than ever, we need to remember that genuine heroes are modest, have personal integrity and are courageous, always with perspective beyond themselves. These are the leaders who reflect Aristotle’s virtue ethics, where good character is the defining value of effective civic participation and leadership in a system of democracy.
It was Joseph Campbell (1949) whose close study of the hero’s journey from antiquity to contemporary society identified the same recurring patterns throughout history. Campbell found that hero stories from all over the world generally follow the same patterns, a narrative that he called a mono myth. The hero story nearly always begins with an ordinary person quietly engaged in the safe and familiar routines of daily life. Abruptly she/he is catapulted into an unwelcome journey, one which s/he resists at its outset. It is the start of an adventure which is fraught with danger and personal risk.
At its outset, our hero-to-be has much to learn, often lacking in qualities such as courage, self- confidence or wisdom. The hero’s journey in Campbell’s studies involves many faltering challenges, setbacks and defeats as the reluctant adventurer slowly develops the skills and personal insights that lead to self-realization and transformation. Often the emerging hero has the advice and encouragement of an unexpected guide or mentor, one who may be perceived as mysterious or even in possession of magical powers. Were Freud to have commented he might have mused that the guide is the manifestation of our own superego.
Once the task is done, and the hero has triumphed, the hero returns to his/her original world of family, friends and daily chores, but with a new sense of purpose and commitment to serving the community as a whole. Such hero stories provide inspiration for our own lives and the challenges small or large which arise at any time. From these stories of evolving transformation, we learn about how to face adversity despite our self doubt, and to grow in wisdom.
Campbell showed us that hero stories are laden with paradox. He famously said “where you stumble, there lies your treasure”. The failures and insecurities of the hero teach us not just that we are all vulnerable, but that we all have great reserves of strength, particularly when we are wise enough to face the world with humility as well as courage. The most powerful message is that the qualities of heroism are available to us all. Over and over we see how very ordinary many heroes or heroines are at the time of they are called to lead.
Even that fusty old philosopher Immanuel Kant suggested that we learn to make moral judgments by examining the characters of men and women who act morally, in other words from their stories. Kant wrote that learning to make moral judgments by examining heroic exemplars is natural, and is effective across all occupations, for men and women, and even (perhaps especially) for young children.
Whether we are in roles as a ‘leader’ or as a ‘follower’, we all have a role to play in being a person of heroic character. We rightly have higher expectations of our leaders, but that does not absolve the rest of us from having the courage to speak up in small heroic acts of influencing. The assigned follower can speak truth to power, to calmly articulate a point of view that goes against the immediate tide. The skill of influencing is now in great demand as we are all part of teams at work, in our communities, and team family at home. The Demeter Institute will be very much focussed on the power of influence as we bring to you the best of contemporary research, inspirational stories and suggestions on how to influence with integrity and dignity.
We return now to the three essential qualities of heroes we first outlined. Do our leaders act morally, do they have a commitment to goodness and do they have courage? Do you see these qualities consistently demonstrated where you work and live? If the answer is no, then you may agree with us that the Harvard Business Review’s piece on the demise of heroic leadership could be premature. We still need heroic leaders. We also need heroic followers who, in the moment, become the leader who does embody those heroic qualities The heroic is not mythical. It will always be there, poised for when the call comes.
Author: Dr Sue Hanley