You shouldn’t be the hero
I was excited to tackle the reading this week. I’m a StoryBrand[1] Guide and use the hero’s journey as one of the introductory workshops we take clients through at my marketing and communications company, Leading With Nice., when we onboard them. I was familiar with Joseph Campbell’s[2] work the same way a lifelong Christian might be familiar with Habakkuk – knowledgable of it but probably haven’t read it despite it not being that hard to digest.
So let’s discuss the hero, shall we? Campbell’s work and Kristie Winslow’s website[3] suggest the reader, the first person, you are the hero which I believe is a critical error when approaching this work. While not always explicit stated, other authors have stood on the shoulders of Campbell’s work to present their own theories. Malcolm Gladwell’s, Outliers[4], brought back into popular culture the same take as Campbell that one must put in hard work to achieve any sort of greatness. The hard work must involve some sort of trial and tribulation in order to go beyond the veil and be known as the hero. Gladwell says The Beatles had to put 10,000 hours of practice in playing clubs in Germany before they could achieve fame, heck even Seattle-based rapper, Macklemore[5], acknowledges in one of his songs:
I observed Escher, I love Basquiat
I watched Keith Haring, you see I study art
The greats weren’t great because at birth they could paint
The greats were great because they’d paint a lot
To codify the hard work you’re putting in you need to assign yourself a series of self-affirmations. Not Jack Handy-esque[6] (“I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!) but you need to start thinking of yourself as the hero because the mind believes what you tell it.
No.
Well not no, but no. This is all true but it is built at the core to create our wildest dreams regardless of what they are.
The hero’s journey should have been developed with someone else being the hero. Not you. Robert Greenleaf[7] is the founder of the modern servant leadership movement and his philosophy outlined in his essay “Essentials of Servant Leadership,” was developed having had success as a fiction writer and making use of the hero’s journey himself. He saw the errors in putting yourself on the path for success by aiming squarely for the spotlight.
Perhaps this blog post isn’t the appropriate soapbox to stand on but we have gotten it all wrong. Okay, okay, okay, but Jesus himself took part in a hero’s journey of sorts. It’s safe to surmise Jesus spent a lot of those first 30 years doing some prep work for his three-year mission. It’s clear he stepped through a threshold while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane[8] he fully realized his purpose and fully accepted it. But his journey was to serve others. He said as much! And then later, James puts it more plainly, “Faith without Works Is Dead.”[9]
So what do we do with this deep-rooted, culture monomyth Campbell has given us. Well I think Winslow is on the write (sic intended) track. Use it as a measuring tool. Is the framework full and complete? Can you identify where the person you’re serving is on the journey and help them identify why they are there. But personally, it will serve best as a tool for self-reflection during the doctorate journey.
Questions to ask myself:
- Admiral William H. McRaven’s, The Hero Code[10], says giving other’s hope is an act of heroism, how can I use self-talk to give myself and others hope when school gets hard?
- Shoutout to Michael Simmons for introducing me to the Heroine’s Journey. I’m a straight, white, middle-age male. How can I appropriately encourage people who aren’t like me as described in Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis[11]?
[1] Miller, Donald. Building a Storybrand: Clarify Your Message so Customers Will Listen. HarperCollins Leadership, an Imprint of HarperCollins, 2017.
[2] Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2020.
[3] “Subject Guides: The Monomyth (the Hero’s Journey): The Hero’s Journey.” The Hero’s Journey – The Monomyth (The Hero’s Journey) – Subject Guides At, https://libguides.gvsu.edu/c.php?g=948085&p=6857311.
[4] Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers. Little, Brown and Co., 2008.
[5] “Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Ten Thousand Hours.” Genius, https://genius.com/Macklemore-and-ryan-lewis-ten-thousand-hours-lyrics.
[6] Franken, Al, and Melody Beattie. I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People like Me!: Daily Affirmations by Stuart Smalley. Dell, 1992.
[7] “What Is Servant Leadership?” Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/.
[8] Matthew 26:39
[9] James 2:26
[10] McRaven, William H. The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived. Grand Central Publishing, 2021.
[11] Hollis, Rachel. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies about Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be. Nelson Books, an Imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2020.
About the Author
Mathieu Yuill
While raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens may be a few of Julia Andrews' favourite things, here are a few of mine: Talking to strangers, Learning about what you do for fun, Conversation over coffee. I own a marketing and communications company in Toronto, Canada called Leading With Nice. There are a lot of names I could have given the company but a trusted friend encouraged me to name it that because I really value the humanness in us all. Bah - this is starting to sound like a horrible LinkedIn post. So whatever, let's have coffee. I'd love to hear about what you do for fun!11 responses to “You shouldn’t be the hero”
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Your thoughts are making me wonder about the intersection of Campbell’s and Camacho’s work. Whether we coach or disciple or simply befriend others, we live life in community. As Christians we serve others; it’s what we do. You ask, “Can you identify where the person you’re serving is on the journey and help them identify why they are there?” I think it would be worth exploring some specific coaching questions and simple vocabulary to guide this type of conversation.
I like where you are going with this, Matt… As I was doing my own thinking on this work, I was trying to articulate the point you eloquently expressed about Jesus modeling a sacrificial hero. I that is key. Additionally, I think your callout of reflecting on the hero’s journey as we coach and mentor others is one that has a lot of good to unpack.
Matthieu,
Can you talk a bit more about the Heroine Journey you mention? Unfortunately, I don’t have a positive reference for Rachel Hollis’ books and speaking so I want to make sure I am following why you referenced her and her work? And, yes, I agree with your line: “The hero’s journey should have been developed with someone else being the hero. Not you.” Isn’t this one of the main reasons we are all on this journey–to become leaders who help develop others to become heros?
“He saw the errors in putting yourself on the path for success by aiming squarely for the spotlight.”
This seems to be a common trend in our posts. I think we are all making sure we don’t let the aim of the heroic journey be about us to feed our egos. I do like how the end of Campbell’s diagram has “Elixir” as the end result. Many myths have the hero going through twists, turns, and trials to attain a potion, answer, or key that helps their community when they return.
There is something admirable about hero’s who let the mission to help others outweigh their fear of danger and self preservation.
You mentioned identifying where people are on their journey which made me think about this. One thing that was revolutionary for me in one of the companies I worked at was the “transition curve model” we used before every coaching session. Through a simple question “Where are you on the curve?” We could gage where people were emotionally. If someone was in a low place they received more guidance and encouragement, if someone was feeling good and successful they received some challenge and new thresholds.
Appreciate your posts!
Thanks for your comments. I like your comment.
NO.
I enjoyed Campbell’s Human Journey, who doesn’t like a roadmap. Beginning, middle and end. So satisfying. Campbell is amazing in so many ways, one of which, how he has impacted writers and film makers. Variations on the theme make the stories “complete.” The method defines our entertainment media.
Ah entertainment. As I read your comments this verse popped in.
1 Corinthians 2:9 – However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—
Paul reminds us of our limitations, what our “human minds” can conceive. I suspect that the Monomyth is a nicely wrapped package for our human minds to embrace and enjoy. It functions within our human grasp of the world.
I wonder though if it is not ONE human perspective draped against an eternal backdrop of the Creators perspective (beyond our comprehension).
I enjoy a happy fulfilling Disney ending as much as the next guy. But, I have too many examples where happy endings are a fairy tale that remains elusive and out of touch with reality.
Thanks for your comments…Shalom…Russ
Whether the hero is to be Jesus, or a person we are serving, it seems a lot of us feel that it’s not quite right to self-identify as the hero.
I lean that way, too. But I’m challenging myself; maybe it’s not so binary? Is it possible that God created each of us to fulfill a heroic part of the universal story that Jesus is the ultimate hero of?
What if instead of a single hero, all of us were called to take our place as fully enfranchised daughters and sons of God, and as fully empowered ambassadors of an eternal Kingdom? What if being “a” hero wasn’t the same as being “the” hero, and what we were created for and long for intuitively is to be a person who makes an eternal impact in the world, and to help others do the same?
Do you think there is room for more than one hero in the story… Is there any space to both be the hero and to serve and elevate others to develop them to be, as well?
Mathieu…my good Canadian! Ensuring a self-effacing interpretation of the word ‘hero.’ Well done! I also struggled with this…and, all joking aside, I do believe Canadians struggle more with the concept of heroes than Americans. However, the concept that I found most intriguing was the concept of helping others (coaching…as others noted) name where they are on a scary, unfamiliar, troubling journey and acting as a mentor or cheerleader for them in their own story. Love that, and want try that out as I journey with others in my pastoral role. Thanks
Hi Mr. Mathieu,
It is your post is interesting and straight on point with concept “self-identified hero”, I like it since the heroes in any setting is identified by his/her surroundings or the people around him/her. Thank you.
“How can I appropriately encourage people who aren’t like me…” Well, that’s a mature wise question that shows a deep understanding about the importance of culture. Thanks for asking your self this question. Here’s one way: Don’t risk your vulnerability/growth for silence. Since you asked it means you are being vulnerable and ready to grow. Silence means we are a little hesitant to grow. Therefore, to encourage people who are not like you, get to know them before you have to encourage them. As you get to know their likes, dislikes, pain, victories, etc. this gives you a window into their soul. Mathieu, you have a genuine inviting personality, which helps others to open up to you. Just keep being the curious you and you will be just fine. 😊
I am so glad someone else has courage to question the readings!! I am curious about us not being the heroes? On a big deep level that goes into my own theological upbringing, I deeply understand the servant leader as elevated, however, as I’ve walked alongside brothers and sisters of marginalized voices, I’ve come to learn that the servant leader expectation can be and has been used as a way to continue to silence diverse voices. I know you mention this very thing at the end of your blog about reading from a female perspective, etc. I love that Michael recommended that book. I’m curious how you would guide young leaders in this culture to be servant leaders when they combat the “15 minutes of fame” world they are living in? Everything young people are confronted with these days are the soundbytes and self-promotion. How would you mentor young upcoming Christian leaders? Genuinely curious!
“Excellent reflective question, Mathieu! These questions are likely also pondered by heroes when they realize they must answer their calling in life. I am not a hero, but I too experience similar questions when I take a challenging path. However, I found Campbell’s reflection on the role of “supernatural aid” in the hero’s journey to be interesting. I believe we all need such support to give us the strength to overcome difficulties.”