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Heroic Leadership

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance

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Synonyms

Consummate leadership; Heroism; Leadership

Definition

Heroic leadership is the pinnacle of leadership, conducted by a transformed and enlightened leader who seeks to transform and enlighten others.

Introduction

Heroic leadership is the pinnacle of leadership, founded on the principles of heroism. A hero is defined as an individual who (a) voluntarily takes actions that are deemed to be exceptionally good, or that are directed toward serving a noble principle or the greater good; (b) makes a significant sacrifice, and (c) takes a great risk. Franco et al. (2011) offer this definition: “Heroism is the willingness to sacrifice or take risks on behalf of others or in defense of a moral cause” (p. 13). Allison and Goethals (2011) define heroism as “doing the right thing at a critical moment,” with the right thing involving a combination of great morality and competence (p. 9). Merriam-Webster’s definition of hero also adds that a hero attracts admiration from others, a recognition...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA

    Scott T. Allison

Authors
  1. Scott T. Allison
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Scott T. Allison .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

    Ali Farazmand

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Allison, S.T. (2016). Heroic Leadership. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2344-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2344-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

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