The association with hero's

Leadership has a very strong association with winning, being the best, or doing something remarkable (Something we observed in , being the leader [achievement]). Somehow we seem to relate leadership to success.

A popular question in the field of leadership is: Can you name a real leader? Who is a leader you admire? Or can you name a leader that inspired you? Everytime we run this experiment, the following answers pop-up:

Barack Obama,

Nelson Mandela,

Martin Luther King,

Mahamet Ghandi,

Elon Musk,

Steve Jobs,

Bill Gates, My Mother / Father, An (old) boss I admire.

Yes, most of them held a position of power. And Yes, most of them are showing leadership behaviour. But what stands out most is their level of achievement.

This might be partly explained by our association of inspiration with success. But what you often see is that we pick people who have made 'an impact', a 'difference, or an achievement. They have done something remarkable. For the world, for a subject or for a group of people. This can be anything from a cultural change, to a scientific breakthrough, a display courage during wartime or an achievement in sports. We draw inspiration from this achievement.

This promotes the idea of a leader as a role model or hero. And even though we are very happy with their existence and their contribution to our world. They cloud our definition of leadership. Through our media, the view on leadership has shifted from 'leadership as something you do' towards this enormous, historical impact of unknown proportions. This is the level of achievement, the level of bravery we are taught.

And yet, what we need are not just historical figures, or epic hero's. We also need normal figures, casual hero's. Besides, as the ancient Chinese Lao Tzu said:

Even though we consider leadership to be about epic achievements, heroic deeds and as a public figure. Many of the real leaders are hidden in humbleness. It is in our day-to-day life that we can make the difference between mediocre performance and excellence. It is in the small, yet impactful actions that we see the true leaders of our society.

We often associate leadership with an achievement; a cultural change, a scientific breakthrough, a display of courage in time of need. This promotes the idea of leaders as hero's or role models. But is real leadership not about elevating others? Can the most beautiful leadership not be found in humbleness?