Most leaders I meet struggle to let go of something so ingrained in their identity that they don’t even see it. It’s not just a habit—it’s who they believe they are. At the core of this identity is a belief: "I am paid to be the hero". This model of leadership has reached its expiration date.
The Heroic Leadership Addiction:
Corporate cultures reinforce and reward it every day: the idea that leaders must be heroes.
At the core of this identity is a belief: "I am paid to be the hero. To be better, faster, and smarter than everyone else."
As a hero:
Your status is higher than others’.
You work harder than everyone else.
You’re expected to know more, carry more responsibility, and solve problems before anyone else—even better than anyone else.
You get your daily fix: certainty, status, and control. It reassures you that you know who you are and what you’re doing.
(And deep down, a part of you knows it’s BS.)
The Real Problem:
When you’re stuck in heroic leadership, you’re likely the bottleneck to the very change you’re trying to create.
You push for innovation but insist on being the one who figures it all out. You demand ownership from your team while still making all the key decisions yourself.
You think the problem is:
The pace of change.
The lack of ownership in your team.
You needed an upgrade a while ago, but somehow, you forgot. Now your leadership operating system is slowing down…
Enjoying this?
"If we don’t change the way we look at things, the things we look at won’t change."
Why Heroic Leadership Fails in Complexity
The hero mindset is a problem because complex challenges demand multiple perspectives.
Yet, heroic leadership conditions you to do the opposite:
You spot an opportunity for growth.
You analyze it alone.
You come up with the solution.
You present it to the team or top management.
And just like that—you’ve fallen into the trap again.
From Hero to Facilitator: Modern leadership is not about being a hero.
It’s about facilitating, enabling, and conducting collective intelligence.
Let me share a simple but powerful example from a leadership training I’m currently running in Germany:
I asked a group of leaders: "Where is your company heading?"
They each wrote down their answers and shared them. And we saw something striking:
One simple question had been answered in seven completely different ways. Now imagine what this means for any transformation effort.
If you’re not attuned to the reality that people make sense of things differently, you’ll waste energy:
Convincing instead of facilitating alignment.
Judging instead of exploring perspectives.
Talking behind backs instead of engaging in real dialogue.
Here’s what we did next:
We put all the responses on the floor to look at the bigger picture.
I stepped back and asked two participants to facilitate the conversation instead of me.
One of them then invited the entire group to stand up and fully engage in this exploration.
That one small shift changed everything.
The team moved from individual opinions to shared meaning-making.
Your Leadership Upgrade Starts Now:
Pay attention to your addiction to heroic leadership. When is it useful? And when is it holding you back?
If you’re ready to step into a leadership style where people take real ownership—where you speak to your employees like adults—let’s talk.
The future of leadership isn’t about being the smartest in the room. It’s about creating spaces where intelligence can emerge.
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