Are You a Heroic Leader? It Depends On Your Story……

Perspective is everything. Everyone has a story and as leaders our stories shape who we are and how we lead. Your story is your back story, the experiences and situations that you have had shape your current and future reality. How you interpret your story determines how you see other people’s stories- and how you lead.

Consider the captain of the Italian cruise ship that crashed, Francesco Schettino from his perspective he felt that abandoning ship was the right thing to do. What is his story? Why would he choose to do that?

A heroic leader sees that their role is to guide others and in the cruise ship circumstance to safety. A cowardly leader sees self preservation and protecting the story of self as having more value than saving the lives of others. If Schettino had seen the story playing out of lives being lost and people being injured from a place of responsibility he would have made different choices.I am guessing that his story somehow links back to him believing his own story as a victim. He  enjoyed the perks of leadership (bringing the cruise ship up perilously close to shore to show off) but not the responsibility.

It is obvious that Schettino has a difficult road ahead- aside from being vilified by the public he has to live with himself and his choices. As leaders we need to be checking in to see if we see what others see. Could he not see the fear, panic and uncertainty of the passengers?

His personal story overrode the story of the people on board his cruise ship.

Contrast his choice with the choice of airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger of Danville, Calif. who heroically saved many lives with his choices of landing the airplane in the Hudson. In that situation Sully saw himself as a leader who had the awesome responsibility of many lives and he made a heroic decision. I am guessing that Sully’s personal story includes seeing himself as accountable, responsible and brave. His ability to feel the passengers story of fear allowed him to make a heroic choice.

As a leader we have the daily opportunity to make a heroic decision based on the story we have created about ourselves and conversely we can make cowardly decisions that are based on our personal story of low self esteem, insecurity or fear.

Great leaders can see their own stories and heroic leaders can elevate their personal story to the benefit of others.

Do you see what THEY see?