Heroic Leadership – lessons on how to be a good leader

It was 2010. I was sitting in a quiet coffee shop in the main square in Gdańsk. The main purpose of the visit was to attend a workshop about how to be a good leader in local communities. I was sipping coffee and reviewing my notes. At the time, almost everything was a revelation to me, especially the part on implementing heroic leadership to be a good leader:

• be a protagonist – a person who creates reality
• it is so easy to be an antagonist
  • a person who is in the best scenario – a passive observer of life,
  • in the worst-case scenario – actively disturbing actions of the protagonist
• be a leader – everyone can be a leader – even on a very small area of influence
• do not wait for golden opportunity that are given you on a silver plate – make sure you extract the gold from casual situations
• read more on “Heroic Leadership” by Chris Lowney.

I was just holding the recommended book and reading the first chapter. The book that changed my approach to many things. It also shaped my choices in my life, in both: professional and private domains.

The book that can help you be a good leader

An author, Chris Lowney, was preparing for becoming a Jesuit priest. However, after some time, he decided to leave the religious order. For the next 17 years he worked in various branches of JP Morgan & Co. Primarily as a Senior Managing Director.

He also served on the corporation board in different regions. In his book he describes the practices, which the Jesuits owe their success – the application of the four simple principles:

• self-awareness,
• ingenuity,
• love
• heroism

They developed the unique methods of forming true leaders. Jesuits have been developing and practising these methods, rules and procedures for almost 450 years. And yet they are still being discovered by mainstream business and management theory masters today.

Society of Jesus, founded without the capital nor the business plan in 1540. It has been one of the best performing corporations that ever existed. It has been successfully managing a network of missionary and educational institutions.
What are the secrets of Jesuit leadership?
Four principles stand out and are worth analysing:

• understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, values ​​and worldview,
• bold use of innovative methods in operation, to adapt to the surrounding and constantly changing world.
• approach to others with a positive and loving adjustment,
• motivating themselves and others by setting and achieving sky-high goals and ambitions.

The theory of Heroic Leadership is built upon those four pillars.

What is Heroic Leadership?

In essence, to lead others effectively, you must first become a leader for yourself. Becoming a leader involves cultivating self-awareness, taking accountability for your actions and decisions. You truly lead others when you assist them in developing self-awareness, guiding them to analyze their own decisions and navigate their personal journeys. For me, it was an interesting point of view. You do not lead followers, you lead leaders because everyone is a leader. Every one of us is called to be leading ourselves and others at the same time.

How to be a good leader?

Great leader is self-aware: “Take responsibility for your life.”

• You grow when you understand who you are and what values you follow. What do you cultivate and stand by, what is your worldview.
• Effective leaders recognise their shortcomings, undeveloped talents, and other facets of their character that require attention. They prioritize and strive to enhance these areas in order to reach ambitious goals.
• You are aware of your strengths and talents, you cultivate stretching your possibilities, operating outside of your comfort zone. They just called it “Magis” – after Latin word meaning: greater, better, bigger, fuller.

Good leader cultivates ingenuity: “The whole world will become our house”.

• You are comfortable with rapidly changing world around you (it was their principle 500 years ago!), and by this, you make others also feeling comfortable and more secure,
• Diligently explore new ideas, solutions, cultures, you do not avoid what is “different” or “unknown” (do we call it diversity today??),
• You rather try to pick out where is the value, even within the idea that is abstract at first glance,
• You learn and adapt quickly (today we call it agile??) however, you know your non-negotiable values ​​that are like a compass, especially when about to decide on something big,
• Cultivate “indifference” – that is, non-attachment to the opinions of others, comparing yourself with others, attaching yourself to once-made decision,
• You challenge the status quo, thereby makes decisions quickly, which in turn leads to rapid implementation of innovation.
• You “live with one foot raised” always ready to respond to emerging opportunities.

Great leader loves: “To act with greater love than fear.”

• As a good leader, you face the world with a healthy self-confidence, treating yourself as a person gifted with talents, dignity, and potential,
• Knowing how to love yourself, you love others, seeing in them the same attributes you see in yourself: talents, dignity and huge potential. You are self-aware, thereby you help others to become self-aware, and as a consequence to realise their talents, often hidden and undeveloped,
• Everywhere around you, You create an environment based on mutual respect, bonds of loyalty, growth, love, help and readiness for assistance (do we call it “organisation culture” today??),

Good leader sparks heroism: “Eliciting great desires.”

• You imagine the future that inspires you (do we call it a law of attraction of today?),
• You are an animator and a protagonist – you influence the future and you are part of the process of shaping it, rather than passively looking at what is happening around,
• Cultivate Magis discovering your sense of purpose, your individual calling, living your life to its full potential, transcending its limitations with heroism in everyday life,
• You extract gold from the opportunities at hand rather than waiting for golden opportunities to be handed to you.

Lesson learned during this coffee journey

• Many theories, favourite quotes and practices may be older than we think,
• It is super exciting to find a book that is ready for you, as you found it in the right time and right place on your life journey,
• We cannot wait for big occasions to show the world our heroism, instead we should practice every day, with every decision, every thought, towards every person, even when “no one is looking”,
• We are all leaders, even if we do not think about ourselves in this way, Heroic Leadership theory is for all of us,

I finished this day treating myself with the best looking pancakes I have probably ever eaten. I was super excited, as knew this book will bring me a lot of answers and generate lots of homework too. It happens when you are ready for a book and the book is ready for you.

Cover photo: Neptune statue in Gdansk, Poland

I wonder if you have similar books in your life? What was the book that has shaped your thinking, change your opinion on something, or maybe you just enjoyed reading it recently? If you enjoy the reading please consider re-twitting about it:

#HeroicLeadership – how principles created 500 years ago are still valid today?

In his book, Chris Lowney writes about principles that were created by Jesuits centuries ago, but can help modern companies to thrive today:

– self-awareness,
– ingenuity,
– love
– heroism

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— 𝐏ɪᴏᴛʀ 𝐙ᴀɢᴏʀᴏᴡ𝐬ᴋɪ 🎙️🚀 (@PiotrZagorowski) July 13, 2020