Leadership Series

Hero or Zero

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others.
A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Is Your Boss a Hero or a Performer?

8 questions. 2 minutes. Free.

Latest from the 14-part series

Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #9 - Patrick Spence vs Manish Chandra
Issue #9
THE ZERO:Patrick SpencevsTHE HERO:Manish Chandra

Leadership Unmasked #9

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Read the story →
Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #8 - Doug Gottlieb vs Sherrone Moore
Issue #8
THE ZERO:Doug GottliebvsTHE HERO:Sherrone Moore

Leadership Unmasked #8

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Read the story →
Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #7 - Keith Taylor vs Scott Harrison
Issue #7
THE ZERO:Keith TaylorvsTHE HERO:Scott Harrison

Leadership Unmasked #7

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Read the story →
Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #6 - Gary Pilnick vs Jim Sinegal
Issue #6
THE ZERO:Gary PilnickvsTHE HERO:Jim Sinegal

Leadership Unmasked #6

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Read the story →
Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #5 - Meta vs Graham Walker
Issue #5
THE ZERO:MetavsTHE HERO:Graham Walker

Leadership Unmasked #5

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Read the story →
Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #4 - Ticketmaster vs George Kurtz
Issue #4
THE ZERO:TicketmastervsTHE HERO:George Kurtz

Leadership Unmasked #4

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

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Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #3 - Dave Calhoun vs Satya Nadella
Issue #3
THE ZERO:Dave CalhounvsTHE HERO:Satya Nadella

Leadership Unmasked #3

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Read the story →
Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #2 - Baldvin Oddsson vs Brian Chesky
Issue #2
THE ZERO:Baldvin OddssonvsTHE HERO:Brian Chesky

Leadership Unmasked #2

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Read the story →
Hero or Zero: Leadership Unmasked #1 - Marc Benioff vs Satoru Iwata
Issue #1
THE ZERO:Marc BenioffvsTHE HERO:Satoru Iwata

Leadership Unmasked #1

A Hero fills their mind with the needs of others. A Performer fills their mind with their own.

Read the story →

Go Deeper

The Hero Boss Guide

8 chapters of scripts, frameworks, and the exact conversations to have with your boss this week. Whether they're a Hero or a Performer.

Get the Book — $9.95

Less than lunch. Full refund if it doesn't help.

Get the Complete Series

14 stories. One each week. Real leaders unmasked.

A Note on This Framework

In each story, I have singled out specific professional behavior as an example. It would be wrong to suggest that heroes are always heroes and zeros are always zeros (or performers). It's more accurate to say that we're always choosing who we're going to be in any circumstance — and in these circumstances, these powerful people made choices that greatly affected others.

Perhaps we are all oscillating on the spectrum between HERO and PERFORMER. If we see it more clearly, maybe we can all make better choices and have better effects on others as we go.

If we are still breathing, we are also, every moment, choosing who we are being. Choosing who to be is choosing how to behave. Right now, you are choosing.

Seeing that we have a choice is the magic.

This is part of an ongoing series. Who will be unmasked next?

Is Your Boss a Hero or a Performer?

8 questions. 2 minutes. The answer changes everything.

Take the Quiz