Do we really need heroes?
Society often glorifies the idea of heroes—individuals who swoop in to save the day and solve seemingly insurmountable problems. We see this dynamic across history, pop culture, and even leadership in our daily lives. But what happens when this fixation on heroism blinds us to the everyday, often invisible, work that prevents those crises from arising in the first place?
Rebecca Solnit captures this sentiment well:
“‘Unhappy the land that needs heroes’ is a line of Bertold Brecht’s I’ve gone to dozens of times, but now I’m more inclined to think, pity the land that thinks it needs a hero, or doesn’t know it has lots and what they look like.”
—Rebecca Solnit, When the Hero is the Problem
Leonard Cohen paints an evocative picture of these figures:
“A bunch of lonesome and very quarrelsome heroes
Were smoking out along the open road.”
—A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes, Leonard Cohen, Songs From a Room, 1969
Cohen’s heroes are tired, human, and imperfect—not the shiny, infallible characters we often imagine.
Solnit reminds us that the real heroes are not necessarily the ones who stand in the spotlight, but those who quietly and diligently solve small problems before they become catastrophic. This is the theme of my blog post, “Don’t Be a Hero—Solve Small Problems!“, where I explore the underappreciated and overlooked value of those who focus on proactive problem-solving.
The silent success of the Y2K programmers
Take the Year 2000 (Y2K) Problem, for example. Programmers like me worked tirelessly for years to address the potential havoc of two-digit date formats in computer systems. We prevented airplanes from grounding, financial systems from failing, and global infrastructures from collapsing. Yet, our success—achieved through planning and foresight—was largely met with jokes or dismissal. Why? Because no major crises occurred. No “heroic leadership” was required.
“Heroic leadership rests on the illusion that someone can be in control.”
—Margaret Wheatley and Debbie Frieze, Leadership in the Age of Complexity: From Hero to Host
Our quiet work was the antithesis of what Margaret Wheatley and Debbie Frieze call heroic leadership. We didn’t aim to control or conquer a crisis; we worked to ensure it never happened. Our role wasn’t glamorous, but it was essential. The most impactful leadership often comes from hosting and supporting collaborative solutions rather than heroically charging into battle.
When heroism gets in the way
Our cultural obsession with heroes can sometimes do more harm than good. As Solnit and Wheatley suggest, placing faith in a single heroic figure can create dependency and overshadow the collective, preventative efforts needed to address systemic challenges. For example, the inadequate early response to COVID-19 in the United States highlights the consequences of ignoring small problems. Leaders who dismissed the importance of pandemic preparedness chose spectacle over substance, and millions paid the price. Preventing disasters requires proactive, often unrecognized work, not dramatic, last-minute heroics.
Rethinking leadership and responsibility
Thinking about heroes and villains can challenge us to refine our understanding of leadership. Songwriter Van Dyke Parks, reflecting on the Beach Boys’ song Heroes and Villains, links the idea of heroism to guilt and atonement, suggesting that our fascination with heroes stems from deeper societal and personal anxieties. This aligns with the need to shift from hero-based leadership to community-based collaboration, where we collectively solve problems before they spiral out of control.
The real heroes
Ultimately, the real heroes are those who show up every day to do the quiet, unglamorous work of solving small problems—whether they’re programmers preventing a global crisis or public health officials preparing for a pandemic. These people don’t wait for the proverbial fire to erupt but instead invest their time and effort into fireproofing the building.
As we navigate an increasingly complex world, let’s take Rebecca Solnit’s advice to heart: pity the land that doesn’t know what its heroes look like. More importantly, let’s celebrate those who solve small problems—because prevention is always better than cure.
This makes me think about how often we expect leaders to be the ‘saviors’ rather than encouraging a system that values prevention. It’s challenging, but necessary to move away from that mentality.
And thank you for your part in making Y2K a non-event. Totally remember that time! But I’ll have to add that people’s fascination with charismatic “heroes” is insidious, and, I think, has led to the current global shift to authoritarianism. Scary.