Every Leader Has a Hero Complex

A note to young leaders.

A woman is leaning over the victim of a car accident.

A man bursts through the crowd and pushes her aside: “Step back, please. I’ve completed three courses in first aid.”

As he rolls up his sleeves, she says: “When you get to the part where you need to call a doctor, you can spare yourself the effort. I’m already here.”

—

Every leader has a hero complex.

That’s not the problem. A leader who doesn’t run towards a crisis would be a strange and probably useless creature.

The problem is that the higher you rise, the more readily the crowd will part for you.

So, before you rush in, look around. Ask yourself: who here is best placed to handle this?

The woman in this story spoke up. In real life, she often doesn’t.