A Hero At Work

Wanting to be a hero at work means striving to differentiate yourself by generating solutions to problems, thus scoring goals with answers that are better than everyone else. Heroes are competitive individualists who, liking to be right, debate issues in a win-lose manner, but even a quiet debate suggests that one side is right and the other wrong.

Analytical ability is the key to success in an individualistic culture. Self-reliance means doing your own thinking. Asking others what they think is viewed as a sign of weakness rather than a desire to foster dialogue and collaboration.

Organizational success is hindered by the heroic mindset because managers are expected to have all the answers. This attitude reinforces the metaphor of the organization-as-person, where management (the “head”) does all the thinking while employees (“hands”) are relegated to executing the manager’s wishes.

The hero virus infects even quiet, less confident employees, so they sit in meetings saying nothing because they can’t think of solutions to offer. They don't think of acting as a catalyst or facilitator because this way of working doesn't feel like making a “real” contribution.

Managers, in heroic cultures, are decision makers rather than catalysts, coaches or facilitators. The manager is required to be the most knowledgeable, smartest or most experienced person in the team, the one who knows what to do at all times.... .to be continued

(as written by McCrimmon M.)