Superheroic Leadership Vol. I * No. 12
The Roots of Steel
Superheroic Leadership is a light-hearted examination of what superheroic figures have to teach about leadership and what I have learned from their adventures.
Superman is one of the most famous fictional characters of all time. I did a little research (on the internet, so it has to be true!) of the most recognizable symbols in the world and the Superman “S” was in the top five on each list I reviewed.
There is some kind of power in that, in the fact that people see that “S” and know it stands for Superman.
And what does Superman stand for?
Truth? Justice? The American way?
Superman was created by two Jewish kids in Cleveland, OH in the 1930s. Children of the Depression, sons of European immigrants and one the child of a man killed in a store robbery, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster could not conceive how their creation would change the world. That was too big from them to think about.
Rather, in Superman’s earliest adventures, they thought about what a character driven by justice would take on. What type of evil should their Superman confront?
Within the first years of his adventures, Superman battled men who abused women, white supremacists, immoral politicians and corrupt businessmen.
Not a so-called “supervillain” among these criminals.
Within those same first years of his adventures, it was established that Superman came from another world and was adopted and raised in America’s heartland.
He was not shipped back to outer space because of his lack of proper papers.
There was a controversy a few years back when Superman declared himself a citizen of the world, not simply of the United States, when he said he would fight for those in need across the globe.
I did not understand the significance of the moment.
I bet all those who have never held a comic book, who have never seen a Superman movie, who cannot read English would have understood that moment’s significance. They understand the “S” to mean something special, something heroic, something great.
It represents the story of the ultimate immigrant fighting for justice.
For me, it will always stand for hope.
I am not sure why all this came to me this week… perhaps I need a little of what Superman has offered.