The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”
—Joseph Campbell
Take the time to read or listen to some of the stories of our nation’s Medal of Honor winners, and you will find similar themes running throughout all of them:
“What I did was nothing special.”
“I did what anyone else would have done for me.”
“There was no way I was going to leave anyone behind.”
And perhaps most telling of all: “I’m not a hero.”
But the fact of the matter is that they are heroes. They demonstrated great courage in the face of fierce enemy resistance. They disregarded their own welfare. They all acted not for themselves but for those who needed help in life-threatening, desperate situations. They demonstrated skill, courage, and humility in the course of serving others while under tremendous duress.
For many, to paraphrase the words of Lincoln, they gave “the last full measure of devotion.” To be sure, our Medal of Honor winners provide us with a high standard for what it means to be a hero.
However, I argue that the best leaders are also heroes by virtue of the role they accept, the journey they take, and the trials that come with the territory.
The best leaders are not in the business for personal glory or iron-fisted control. Rather, they lead because they seek to serve a higher purpose and use their unique gifts, talents, and skills to make a positive impact on their organizations and the people they encounter.
The best leaders are not in the business for personal glory or iron-fisted control. Tweet This!The leader as hero takes on a role that challenges competency, skill, and psychological mettle on a daily basis. Every day, in many large and small ways, the leader must face forces that endanger the success of the organization and the team. In this ongoing adventure, the leader-hero gives the gifts of credibility, vision, motivation, innovation, empowerment, and encouragement to the team.
In his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell (1949) summarizes the hero’s journey: “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder; fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won; the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”
Herein lies the leader’s true power: giving of self to others.
DEEPER INSIGHT INTO THE HEROIC LEADER
First and foremost, leaders are required to take on responsibilities greater than themselves. Leadership is not easy, and in fact, it can be uncomfortable, even arduous. Leaders face tasks, trials, and challenges that are often intense, onerous, and unpredictable. Leaders face the stress of having to deliver results. Leaders must support the growth and well-being of the people they lead and deal with all of the drama and problems that inevitably arise.
They do all of this with integrity, courage, and perseverance. The journey can take place on a battlefield or in a maze of cubicles. It is lived out in myriad ways for myriad purposes. No two leaders have the same journey, but all leaders travel under the common bond of leadership. In fact, it is in the performance of these daily leadership acts and in the perseverance required to accomplish them, despite the challenges to self and mission, that true heroism is displayed.
Although leaders such as Lincoln, Churchill, and King were tested in seemingly superhuman ways on the historical stage, I hold that the thousands of small acts of leaders like you are no less heroic.
Failure is as much a part of the leadership journey as success, and failure may be the most instructive part of it. Perhaps most important, the leadership journey results in growth and change that yields maturity of purpose, deepening of wisdom, increased skill and competency, and humble awareness of limitations and dependency on others.
Failure may be the most instructive part of leadership. Tweet This!Leaders like you play out your vital role on the historical stage through your daily lives.
Are you ready to commit to your journey?
RECAP
- Leadership is a hero’s journey.
- Leaders are tested in ways that others are not.
- The leader as hero is inherently selfless.
- Being a leader means you take on responsibilities greater than yourself.
- Heroic leadership takes place in the thousands of daily leadership acts that demand perseverance and courage despite challenges to self and the challenge of the situation.
- Heroic leadership results in growth in wisdom, skill, and maturity driven by the difficulty of the journey itself.SELF-
SELF-COACHING QUESTIONS FOR HEROIC LEADERSHIP
- Where are you on your leadership journey—just starting, well on your way, or at the end?
- How does where you are on your journey influence the way you lead?
- How deep is your commitment to leadership and all that comes with it?
- What leadership challenges are you experiencing now that are demanding more from you in the way of selfless service, integrity, perseverance, and courage?
- What are you learning from these challenges?
- What can you do today to improve your ability to lead heroically?
DOWNLOAD SELF-COACHING QUESTIONS AS A HANDY PDF WORKSHEET
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Download “Leadership is a Hero’s Journey – Self Coaching Questions” Worksheet PDF
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