Every movie has a hero. Luke Skywalker. Harry Potter. Indiana Jones. Even Austin Powers is a hero. The hero is the heart of the movie, the person or thing on which the movie focuses to tell the story. Movies take these heroes on journeys that follow a common path. The hero encounters a problem he can’t solve, a villain he can’t overcome. Then a guide appears to help the hero become the person who can rise to the challenge. Yoda is a guide, so is Gandalf. Then just when you think all hope is lost, the hero uses the guide’s teachings to win the day and defeat the villain.
What Donald Miller teaches with his StoryBrand framework is that businesses too often view themselves as the heroes. Their websites boast self-absorbed comments like, “This company was founded a hundred years ago on the principles of traditional values” or “Our scientists spent five years refining ingredients to produce the perfect taste.” Their marketing and engagement emphasize how great the company or product is, instead of championing how much better off the customer will be if they make the purchase. As a result, potential customers get confused and lose interest.
The secret is to position the customer as the hero and the company as the guide.
The question I have is this…in military organizations, who is the hero? Who is the center of gravity, the person the unit should focus efforts on to achieve its purpose?
Not the Obvious Hero
It’s easy to think that the hero on a team or in a unit is the leader. The military’s fixed, progressive professional development timeline primes us to believe that the person selected for command or leadership is the hero, the one who gives guidance and makes everything happen. She has the most experience and has performed all the unit’s jobs along her career. She has superior rank and ultimate decision authority. Everyone looks up to her. Is she the heroine?
Perhaps the hero is the understated high performer, the staff member or junior leader who gives his all, takes on task after task, and coaches others. He is humble and committed to the unit’s goals, setting an admirable example of service and leadership. Is he the hero?
These are certainly important components of a successful unit. Hard working staff members and good leaders must be present for any military organization to succeed. This is not the complete picture, however.
Joe Hero
I think the hero is the Soldier. Yes, we are all Soldiers. I’m talking about the frontline Soldier in Infantry or Logistics or Finance or whichever specialty you choose. The Soldier is the base element, the most common human component in the formation. That low ranking Soldier is the one with the least experience and responsibility, but must do the fundamental job or the unit fails.
Everything we do revolves around the Soldier. All the good ideas, new programs and equipment…all the emerging resources and decisions ultimately find their way to the Soldier. The Soldier is why staffs rack their brains and work all night to turn the tactically impossible into the possible. The Soldier is why commanders and NCO leaders make midnight checks at barracks and fighting positions across the Army. The Soldier is the center of gravity and without a trained, capable, motivated, resourced, and fit Soldier force…we lose.
Perhaps the most important question isn’t, “Who is the Hero?” Maybe we should be asking ourselves, “Have we told the hero he’s the hero?”
Take reception and integration, for example. How often do we receive new Soldiers into the unit and immediately subordinate them to a psychological (sometimes physical) position of inferiority? We ignore the fact that they were, first of all, in the scant minority of citizens who qualify for military service, but then also volunteered for service and successfully completed initial entry training.
No, they’re not experienced in the way that a seasoned Corporal or a Squad Leader might be, but they took the Oath of Enlistment, they’re wearing the U.S. Army nametape, and they’re part of a professional Army. More importantly, when the unit deploys, we’ll need every rifle in the fight. So let’s not pretend that the newest Soldier will get to sit in the rear area and wade his way into combat. That new rifleman, or intelligence analyst, or fuel technician…will help win the day.
So, why not tell them they’re the hero? Why not give them a little credit? Why not give them a moniker to live up to? In positioning the Soldier as the hero and the leader or unit as the guide, we highlight their important role in the success of our mission, and simultaneously make a promise to teach them, lead them, and set the conditions for their success.
Isn’t that a leadership environment we’d all appreciate?
Questions for Leaders
- What should the hero in your organization know about his or her role to make the most impact?
- How have you communicated that you are a committed guide who will teach, lead, and resource the hero to win the day?
- If you (the leader) tend to believe that you’re the hero in the organization, who might you get feedback from to find out who is getting the job done at the lowest level?
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