| I love the movies because the movies are full of | | | | ever know. Children learn most of their lessons |
| heroes. In the movies, the cavalry eventually comes. | | | | regarding “how to act” from their parents. What |
| Help is always on the way. The bad guys generally | | | | is acceptable behavior? What is right and what is |
| win in Act One, but they rarely stay on top for long. | | | | wrong? What and who should I tolerate? How hard |
| Almost without fail, they get their comeuppance in the | | | | should I work? Who should I aspire to be? These |
| end, usually in extremely satisfying fashion. In the | | | | lessons and many more are passed from parent to |
| movies, the good guys reign supreme. This is not | | | | child. Not only do parents lead children, but peers lead |
| always the case, perhaps it is not often the case, in | | | | peers. In every group, team or mob, someone other |
| the real world. We need more heroes in real life. | | | | than the titular leader takes the first action to bolster or |
| Leaders need to be heroes. We all know that being a | | | | undermine the validity of the leader’s rule. Ultimately, |
| great leader is a tall order. We expect a great deal of | | | | any leader’s grip on power is only as strong as the |
| our leaders. We trust the leader to pilot the plane, so | | | | support of those that choose to follow. In reality, there |
| we rightly expect that he or she knows how to fly a | | | | are not leaders and non-leaders, but situations in which |
| plane. The leader must be willing to prove his or her | | | | we lead and situations in which we do not. Therefore, |
| bona fides at a moment’s notice. We expect that | | | | none of us are exempt from the responsibility of |
| leader to be flying that plane to a better place than the | | | | leadership. |
| one we just left. We expect our leaders to care about | | | | We need more heroes, but the solution to the problem |
| us beyond our status as a means to their ends. We | | | | is not to wait for them to arrive. You must accept the |
| require our welfare to hold a prominent place on their | | | | challenge of becoming that hero yourself. Your future, |
| radar screen. Ultimately, we expect our leaders to | | | | and ours, depends upon it. Don’t assume you are |
| cherish their roles and serve us as they would serve | | | | ineligible because you lack a white horse, an invisible |
| themselves, landing us in our final destination quickly | | | | plane, a bulletproof cape or spider sense. Don’t |
| and safely. | | | | wait for the cavalry. Don’t be afraid to be that |
| We often fail to realize is that we are all leaders. Most | | | | leader that we so sorely lack. Chances are someone |
| of us will become parents at some point in our lives, | | | | close to you is waiting for you to mount your horse |
| the first and the most significant leaders our children will | | | | and take up the charge. |