There is no such thing as a superheroic leader that is so invincible that he or she can overcome all obstacles through sheer force of will alone. Recent examples, such as Adam Neumann at WeWork and Elizabeth Holmes at Theranos, should have disabused us of this notion.
This presentation is premised by the idea that while we already know this at a popular conciousness level, it hasn't been fully articulated in leadership studies.
The talk is framed around the relative lack of success of films involvng the DC character Superman since 2006's Superman Returns in comparison to the worldwide phenomenon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It argues that in today's VUCA world, the all-powerful, morally-perfect Superman is no longer a character with whom we can identify. Instead, we identify with heroes wrestling with character flaws - Tony Stark's ego, Steve Roger's naivety, Thor's birthright, Bruce Banner's anger, Peter Parker's fear of responsibility - who come together during great adversity to amplify each other's strengths and cover for eah other's weaknesses.
Using studies of heroic characters from Ancient Greece to the modern day and underpinned by Heifetz's model of Adaptive Leadership, the talk examines how the above can be applied as a metaphor for the type of leadership we need in complex and uncertain times.
