What's a Hero?

Introduction

In mythology and folklore, a hero or heroine (female) is an eminent character who quintessentially embodies key traits valued in their culture of origin. Usually the hero has superhuman abilities or personality traits that allow idealized perform extraordinary feats and beneficial ("heroic acts") that are recognized by (compare villain).

A person becomes a hero when he performs an extraordinary feat and worthy of praise (for the culture of place and time). The traditional feats are exterminated monsters and saving people from certain death. A hero meets the definition of what is considered good and noble in their culture of origin. However, in the literature and especially in the tragedies, the hero may also have serious defects that lead to destruction, as in the case of Hamlet. Sometimes an anonymous person can achieve sufficient prestige to become a hero to his countrymen circumstantial. This is often accompanied by exaggerated media increased the actions of that person, attributing values ??higher than those of other mortals (Pearson, pp 12).

Discussion and analysis

There are many different definitions and interpretations as to exactly what a hero is. Sometimes heroism is attained in seconds by an act of courage that was more instinctive and impulsive than well-thought out or planned. Sometimes heroism is a cold and calculated act that is very much considered and sometimes it is a lifetime of overcoming odds and obstacles to achieve things -- whether they are great accomplishments or relatively mundane ones. The characteristics of heroes, though, have similarities no matter what type of hero is being considered (Campbell, pp 78).

Thus, in Great Idea Today, Cicero is cited as describing a hero as one who “conscientiously renders duty and reverence to kin, country and friends”, while Virgil is cited as describing the hero as one who “for the sake of a higher identity…comes to accept the identity of the participant in a great world task.”

Uses of the Hero Myth in Leadership Literature

Academic studies of leaders sometimes concentrate on what can be measured the percentage of female leaders who went to single-sex colleges, for example, or the percentage of CEOs who are taller than average or who are firstborn among their siblings. In contrast to this literature of analysis, there is a nonacademic literature that might be called, for lack of a better term, the literature of inspiration. It is here, in the literature of inspiration, that the hero myth is most commonly found. A reader browsing in a local bookstore would find four general categories of inspirational leadership literature related to the hero's journey:

The story of an individual leader, told as a hero's journey

The story of a company, told as a hero's journey

How-to books that implicitly use aspects of the hero myth

Explicit discussions of the hero's journey in relation to leadership

The Hero Leader

Many biographies of leaders, especially those of business leaders written to inspire others, follow the model of the hero's journey. Young leaders are shown overcoming obstacles in their youth before achieving the goals they desire. Winston Churchill is out of ...