--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our tendency to create heroes rarely…" description: "\"Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the reality that most nontrivial problems require collective solutions.\" — Warren G. Bennis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/warren-g-bennis-3361_collectives_our-tendency-to-create-heroes-rarely-jib_2807225.png" --- # Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the… ![“Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the reality that most nontrivial problems require collective solutions.” quote by Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/warren-g-bennis-3361_collectives_our-tendency-to-create-heroes-rarely-jib_2807225.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/warren-g-bennis-3361_collectives_our-tendency-to-create-heroes-rarely-jib_2807225.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/warren-g-bennis-3361_collectives_our-tendency-to-create-heroes-rarely-jib_2807225.png) > “Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the reality that most nontrivial problems require collective solutions.” [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hero worship ignores that complex problems need teamwork. **In simple terms:** Heroes don’t solve big problems alone. Key Takeaway Foster collaborative solutions. Themes leadership hero myth collective action Mood analytical motivational Type strategic philosophical When to use this quote - business strategy - community projects - innovation labs Key Concepts Organizational theory systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What role do heroes play in your field? - How can you shift focus to collaboration? A Different Perspective Heroes can inspire but must empower teams. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [Collective solutions to individual problems is very seductive. It's how Obama gets elected, by the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/collective-solutions-to-individual-problems-is-very-seductive-it-s/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the "hero" within us is revealed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-riley/hard-times-don-t-create-heroes-it-is-during-the-hard-times-when-the/) [Bob Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-riley/) > [There has to be a way to redirect employee's driving ambition and to channel it more productively. There is. Create heroes in every role.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-has-to-be-a-way-to-redirect-employee-s-driving-ambition-and-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most important thing is to find collective solutions in diplomacy and I think that is possible,.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/the-most-important-thing-is-to-find-collective-solutions-in-diplomacy/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [I am hostile to the idea that collective solutions have to be made by committees and then imposed top-down. I very much prefer bottom-up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-am-hostile-to-the-idea-that-collective-solutions-have-to-be-made-by/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Heroes rarely look the way we draw them in our minds: attractive, imposing figures with rippling muscles and strong chins. More times than not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/heroes-rarely-look-the-way-we-draw-them-in-our-minds-attractive/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [Do not despair. Heroes rarely live up to to our expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/do-not-despair-heroes-rarely-live-up-to-to-our-expectations/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The discovery of heroes is rarely linear or obvious. They usually sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-easton/the-discovery-of-heroes-is-rarely-linear-or-obvious-they-usually/) [Nina Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-easton/) > [“Heroes rarely get to rest when they desire to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-brightley/heroes-rarely-get-to-rest-when-they-desire-to/) C.J. Brightley > [“There’s no glory in this whole shit. No war is ever glorious. Heroes are usually dead. Besides, they rarely turn into heroes because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-voinov/there-s-no-glory-in-this-whole-shit-no-war-is-ever-glorious-heroes/) [Aleksandr Voinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-voinov/) > [There is a way in which the collective knowledge of mankind expresses itself, for the finite individual, through mere daily living . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/there-is-a-way-in-which-the-collective-knowledge-of-mankind-expresses/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) ## More by Warren G. Bennis > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Great groups deliver great results. And for everyone involved in a great group, great work is its own reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/great-groups-deliver-great-results-and-for-everyone-involved-in-a/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Leadership is like beauty - it's hard to define but you know it when you see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/leadership-is-like-beauty-it-s-hard-to-define-but-you-know-it-when/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Coaching will become the model for leaders in the future... I am certain that leadership can be learned and that terrific coaches... facilitate learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/coaching-will-become-the-model-for-leaders-in-the-future-i-am-certain/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Servant leadership teaches us that you have to lay your cards on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/servant-leadership-teaches-us-that-you-have-to-lay-your-cards-on-the/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/that-s-nonsense-in-fact-the-opposite-is-true-leaders-are-made-rather/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Recognize and respect mutual self-interests, then build creative collaborations to serve them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/recognize-and-respect-mutual-self-interests-then-build-creative/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If great teams don't have an "enemy," they create one for themselves because, as former Coca-Cola CEO Roberto Goizueta pointed out, "you can't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/if-great-teams-don-t-have-an-enemy-they-create-one-for-themselves/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [All great leaders constantly seek new information and new ways of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/all-great-leaders-constantly-seek-new-information-and-new-ways-of/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Trust is difficult to define, but we know when it's present and when it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/trust-is-difficult-to-define-but-we-know-when-it-s-present-and-when/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Around the world, the generals are being ousted, and the poets are taking charge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/around-the-world-the-generals-are-being-ousted-and-the-poets-are/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [A passion for continual learning, a refined, discerning ear for the moral and ethical consequences of their actions, and an understanding of the purposes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/a-passion-for-continual-learning-a-refined-discerning-ear-for-the/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [The failure to find the right niche for people - or to let them find their own perfect niches - is a major reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/the-failure-to-find-the-right-niche-for-people-or-to-let-them-find/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Effective leaders make a full commitment to be a learner, to keep increasing and nourishing their knowledge and wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/effective-leaders-make-a-full-commitment-to-be-a-learner-to-keep/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Encourage reflective backtalk: Leaders know the importance of having someone in their lives who will unfailingly and fearlessly tell them the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/encourage-reflective-backtalk-leaders-know-the-importance-of-having/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) [Explore all 132 Warren G. Bennis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) ## More Collectives quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [There is a way in which the collective knowledge of mankind expresses itself, for the finite individual, through mere daily living . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/there-is-a-way-in-which-the-collective-knowledge-of-mankind-expresses/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Through Sahaja Yoga what happens to you, that you become a collective personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/through-sahaja-yoga-what-happens-to-you-that-you-become-a-collective/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do with personal and collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-earlier-more-profound-functions/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [If you need someone to come out of the sewer with a wire you don't hire someone who needs laborious collective instruction. You let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/if-you-need-someone-to-come-out-of-the-sewer-with-a-wire-you-don-t/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-eliasson/for-all-the-civilians-saved-thanks-to-the-presence-of-peacekeepers/) [Jan Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-eliasson/) > [Man, in the collective sense, is the hero of science. Man, in the collective sense, is the hero of Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/man-in-the-collective-sense-is-the-hero-of-science-man-in-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) Browse all 1,039 Collectives quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the reality that most nontrivial problems require collective solutions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Warren G. 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