Key Messages
How To Be An Heroic Leader: Transform Your Relationships With Your Employees, Develop Unshakeable Self-Belief, And Take Control Of Your Company’S Reputation
In today’s world, it’s easy to be cynical about the current crop of business leaders.
They seem to be taking an ever-increasing cut of the corporate pie, leaving their employees barely enough to survive.
But there is a way for good, honest leaders to alter the public narrative and restore their reputation – by leading like a hero instead of a fat cat.
That’s where The Hero Factor Book comes in.
It helps leaders understand how they can go from zero and become true heroes that inspire others and positively affect their work environment for the better.
Real-life success stories and inspirational lessons provide examples of what it means to lead with heroic principles, challenging popular notions that profit always comes before people.
From the incredible story of Captain “Sully” Sullenberger’s daring landing to Starbucks‘ failure to follow its own heroic ideals, readers have ample opportunity to explore what it takes to be a true leader in today’s world – one who puts their people first while still achieving success.
With The Hero Factor by your side, you can lead like a hero rather than a fat cat.
The Need For Heroic Leaders In An Era Of Corporate Greed And Mismanagement
In these troubled times, people are desperate for leaders who not only excel in their work, but who also demonstrate compassion and accountability to their workers.
The world is crying out for heroic leaders who can align their own goals with those of their employees – something many businesses today neglect in favour of serving clients, shareholders and the bottom line.
Fortunately, the author of ‘The Hero Factor’ has explored what it takes to become an inspiring, heroic leader.
After attending the annual conference of Hero Partners – a nationwide club dedicated to responsible, sustainable and compassionate entrepreneurialism – the author went all in and bought Hero Partners back in 2016.
By following this example, other forward-thinking executives can blaze a trail as heroically-minded entrepreneurs by committing themselves to caring for those beneath them.
This may involve focussing on organizational objectives that serve both company goals and employee demands; allowing employees an opportunity for decent living within the workplace whilst striving for excellence; or just listening more attentively to lower down staff members who have valuable insights or feedback about the business.
Ultimately, if every leader was committed to achieving this ambition then ordinary workers would no longer be neglected – something that is sorely needed right now!
Valuing Both Profits And People: What It Takes To Be A Heroic Business Leader
Heroic leaders understand that there doesn’t have to be a compromise between profits and people.
By understanding the importance of each, they can create a successful business environment by implementing certain values.
One of those values is operational excellence which helps boost profits.
It involves increasing revenues, ensuring superior products and services are created, creating as much value for customers and clients as possible and consistently recruiting and retaining talented employees.
When it comes to looking after people, heroic leaders understand that having diverse perspectives helps them make the best decisions for the company.
They take time to find out what different people like genders, ethnicities or generations have to say about challenges their companies face.
In this way, heroic leaders realise that the success of their businesses depend on both its people and its profits and strive to create an environment where everyone is respected and valued equally.
Leaders Must Live Their Values, Otherwise They Risk Suffering The Consequences
When companies share their values with the world, it’s important to remember that those same values need to be actively practiced by those within the organization.
We saw this when the author of The Hero Factor noticed his digital media employee expressing no concern in a meeting over the low open rate of their emails they sent to clients.
These clients were paying for these emails, and should have been interested enough to open them- yet the employee was showing little care for the outcome.
It became clear that there was a disconnect between espousing these values and putting them into practice in their everyday lives.
How often does this happen? Even well-known brands are beginning to notice this disconnect and its effects on their reputation.
Take Starbucks for example; after one manager called police on African American customers who were just politely waiting for a friend before making a purchase, they held an afternoon training session on racial bias with all 8,000 store employees being involved due in part of their failure to live out the store’s mission; which promotes being a communal space free from judgement or discrimination.
It’s essential that if your company is sharing values you must also make sure that those within the organization are living them as well – don’t just shout about your company values loud, talk about them with actions too!
Building A Heroic Culture Through Everyday Actions
We often overlook the little things in our workplace culture which have the power to make a big difference.
While you might think that an excellent working environment looks like lots of energetic employees having fun in each other’s company, the small signs of a heroic workplace aren’t always so obvious.
For example, take what the author witnessed during their visit to High Point University.
The university had undergone remarkable transformation since 2005 when new president Nido Qubein took over, increasing student numbers from 1450 to 4000, and growing annual funding from $38 million to nearly $290Million.
But what stood out to the author wasn’t these impressive changes but something far more subtle.
One of the Vice Presidents stooped down to pick up a candy wrapper lying on the ground whilst giving his guests a tour around campus.
It was such an unassuming thing to do yet it spoke volumes about not just individual responsibility but leadership showing exemplary behavior despite it not being part of his job description and creating an environment where everyone is inspired to adhere to similar high standards.
Thus, when it comes to cultivating a heroic atmosphere in your workplace, realize that paying attention even to those tiny details can make all the difference.
The Difference Between Heroic And Unheroic Workplace Cultures: A Tale Of Us Airways And Dave Sanderson
The difference between heroic and unheroic working cultures lie in two words – relationships and transactions.
Heroic cultures put emphasis on building relationships with their employees and clients while unheroic ones are solely concerned with transactions.
This is perfectly illustrated in the story of Dave Sanderson, a passenger on Flight 1549 who miraculously survived its crash landing into the Hudson river.
After miraculously making it out alive, he went straight from the hospital to work the next day only for his boss to ask him if he was going to Michigan for a proposed deal.
It’s clear that his employer didn’t care about what he had just been through – they were more concerned about capitalizing on the situation for their own benefit than caring for their top-performing employee.
In contrast, US Airways, the flight operator in this case, immediately provided assistance to Sanderson and other passengers back home by assigning them each a personal liaison assistant.
The result? Sanderson still remains loyal to US Airways even after his traumatic experience.
This incident further demonstrates that truly heroic working cultures prioritize relationships over transactions when it comes to how they nurture both staff members and clients.
By valuing these relationships, employers are more likely to benefit from loyalty and mutual trust which will be invaluable assets as time passes by!
The True Value Of Heroic Leadership Lies In Its Ability To Empower Others
Heroic leadership can be a force for great good and empowerment.
This is demonstrated by Rob Ryan, who founded Ascend Communications in 1989 and sold it 10 years later for $20 billion.
Rather than keeping the fortune for himself, he set aside 10 percent of his money as a reward for all of his employees – executives, secretaries and janitors alike.
Similarly, when Hamdi Ulukaya founded Chobani yogurt in 2005 he told his workers that if it were ever sold or became a public company, he would share up to 10 percent with them.
Now Chobani is worth over $1.5 billion and 2000 workers will become millionaires if it is ever sold.
The most important part of this kind of heroic leadership is not handouts or being nice; it’s about empowering the people around you so that they are able to reach their full potential and get a share of the rewards generated by their work.
When they have something to give back, then everyone involved gains an incredible amount.
Wrap Up
The key takeaway from The Hero Factor is that heroic leaders are generous with their people and resources.
In order to achieve optimal performance they invest beyond transactions and profits and focus instead on building strong relationships rooted in deep values.
Fostering heroic generosity doesn’t require piles of cash or grand gestures – but it does require effort, thoughtfulness and a willingness to give your workers the recognition they deserve.
Even if you don’t have the financial resources to incentivize your team, you can still be generous by taking time to appreciate them and showing gratitude for their efforts.
By implementing small steps, an environment of trust and appreciation can develop, leading to happier more motivated workers.
