Foreword
BE A HERO: The Quest For Authentic Leadership is a saga of brave warriors setting out on a mystical quest in search of magical golden rings, chalices, and fleeces. Along the journey, our heroes encounter awful witches, enchanting woods, dark underworlds, secret passages, mysterious towers, terrible dragons, monsters that are half human and half beast, horrifying Medusas, giants, elves, trolls, dwarfs, ghosts, magicians, sorcerers, and wizards. This fantasy, although it's about heroes and villains, is not Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or Harry Potter. It's a mythological story about the journeys and adventures of the leader.
BE A HERO: The Quest For Authentic Leadership is a pilgrimage to self-discovery. It investigates the different initiations in the hero's quest and the importance of learning how to be a responsible, powerful leader. You enter the woods at your own point, face insurmountable obstacles and challenges, and await dreadful demons. You're put to the test, enduring hardships and facing fears beyond your most frightening nightmares. There are no given certainties and no prescribed laws or principles, only the insights of the brave heroes who answered the call before you-those warriors of leadership who had a "rendezvous with destiny."
Our society is built on myth. We see the influence of myth in our art, literature, and music, in our social structure, and in our political and religious institutions. We're surrounded by myth, and yet we're unaware of its presence, its patterns, and its power to guide the leader's quest for truth and freedom.
The leader needs to possess characteristics and qualities that can't be learned only from courses taken in business school. These characteristics and qualities can only be learned from the process of living an intensely personal journey of individualization. The leader needs to undergo an initiation process that will take them from inexperienced, immature leader to full-fledged, mature leader.
As one studies the world's greatest leaders and their journeys, a pattern begins to develop. Many come from backgrounds of privilege. Most are educated and trained in the best schools, and receive a great deal of encouragement at home. At some time during their early developmental stages, they experience an intense desire to lead, and they possess attributes that propel them toward their ultimate position of leadership. They also possess such qualities as perseverance and charisma, as well as exceptional critical and creative thinking skills, even though a personal tragedy, a debilitating illness, or a disability at an early age generally wounds them.
All of the leaders in this book have a vision, assemble a team, set out on a quest, enter the woods at their own point, and possess a distinct plan for success. Along the journey, they encounter many challenges that they must overcome, taxing their beliefs and skills. If they aren't careful, they'll get lost and will succumb to the labyrinth of mystification and puzzlement.
Seduced by lovely maidens singing on the cliffs, captivated by seductive songs of power and prestige, consumed by self-importance and contribution, and falling into a stupor of invincibility and security, they forget the original purpose of their quest. They sometimes rest upon prior achievement and commit atrocities against their beliefs and values as they began to believe in their own public image of wealth, power, and significance-resulting in their ultimate undoing. Thus, they fail their followers, their families, and themselves.
If they survive, these leaders resurrect like the Phoenix, ready to continue their quest. They descend into the lair of the Medusa and cautiously enter, knowing that they will be facing their most formidable foe. The Medusa represents their ego, and looking into her eyes will result in their death. Once they slay their Medusa, their ego, they emerge from the lair victorious and more qualified to lead their team. Slaying their ego, they become compassionate leaders, capable of following their followers. They continue their quest from that moment with a new understanding of how to lead. They lead with consideration-for their own people and their foes. They understand the true purpose of their quest, and are no longer consumed with their self-importance and self-preservation. They've discovered what truly matters in life and how all people can live harmoniously.
Many leaders' lives mirror this allegory, including Gandhi, Roosevelt, Caesar, and Lincoln. Gandhi's life reflects the journey of the hero, who slays the dragon of his own ego and transforms into a compassionate, credible, self-sacrificing, and beloved leader.
Transformational leadership starts with a transformed leader. The charismatic leader or hero begins the journey with certain attributes and behaviors that he receives from his privileged upbringing and formal training. Charisma, a gift of the gods, is an essential quality for a hero. He must be able to convince others and to persuade them to take an incredible journey. Odysseus, King Arthur, and Beowulf were heroes of exemplary character who felt that they were ordained to go on a quest as an ultimate boon for humankind.
They had vision and the ability to inspire confidence in others. Each had a powerful aura and the confidence necessary to motivate activity. Each mythological hero opposed the status quo and was determined to change it. All the heroes in this book encountered great challenges and tribulations, had an idealized vision, and was honorable and worthy of imitation.
Each of our heroes was an expert in using unconventional means to transcend the existing order, such as when Odysseus cleverly rides the underbelly of sheep in order to escape the Cyclops' cave. Each hero strongly articulated his vision, and possessed superior transactional and transformational abilities. For example, after seeing a vision of the Holy Grail hover above the round table, King Arthur instructed his knights to go on a quest in search of the Grail for the glorification of the knight and the boon of Avalon.
BE A HERO: The Quest For Authentic Leadership will take you on a journey, unraveling the mysterious quest of the leader who must meet challenges and opportunities along the path, and finally bringing you face-to-face with yourself, your weaknesses, and your strengths.
BE A HERO: The Quest For Authentic Leadership also exposes the myths, lies, and deceits of the forces of evil, disguised as leaders while they raid our villages and pilfer our cottages. Not having received the true call to leadership, these selfish and greedy ogres horde humanity's treasures.
BE A HERO: The Quest For Authentic Leadership will unveil the mystical process of becoming a true leader, guiding you along the path of honor-bound and blood-stained purpose. It will teach you to face your challenges and hardships with faith and courage. It will lend meaning to your world through images of ancient symbolism, and reveal the universal truths to be found within the leadership experience. Welcome to the mythological journey of leadership.
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