Heroes of the Future
AUTHOR: Jennifer Dunne

Romance heroes have changed a lot over the years. They've morphed from strong, silent men who knew what was best for the heroine but knew nothing of their own emotions, to sensitive, caring men who empathized with the heroine's problems, to wheelers and dealers who could outmaneuver anyone (except the heroine), to entrepreneurs willing to risk everything for an idea they believe in. Look at that list again. See anything familiar?

These traits tend to be the traits exhibited by the men at the top -- the ones listed in Forbes and the Fortune 500 -- during the time the books were written. When you think about it, women are genetically programmed to select mates that will provide for them and their offspring. As the cultural ideas of what being a good provider entails shift, so do our ideal heroes. But always, if you compare our heroes to these men at the top, you'll see a lot of traits in common. (I'm excluding heroes such as cowboys or vampires, that form part of a specific fantasy image.)

So, what will the romance heroes of the 21st century be like? Let's take a look at who the business world projects will be the leaders of the future. Our heroes will most likely share many of their characteristics.

Warren Bennis, distinguished professor of business administration at UCLA, calls the transformation into 21st century leaders a shift from the "macho" to the "maestro." Rather than being the one who commands and controls, the leader of the future will recognize the best people, and give them room to do their thing. So the hero will recognize the heroine's stellar qualities, and allow her the space to show her stuff. No feeling threatened by her superiority for this modern hero! Instead, he'll be relying on her skills and abilities.

Dr. Warren Blank, president of the Leadership Group in Chapel Hill, NC, says that tomorrow's leaders will be "constantly probing, questioning and processing information, and looking at different paradigms" to increase their success. How will our future heroines react to all this probing analysis? Will it be yet another thing he does which she can't understand, but grudgingly admits produces results? Or will she trade facts and figures with him at light speed?

Mercer Management Consulting, out of Boston, MA, categorizes successful leaders by four "action components." Applied to heroes, these would be: an understanding of both the external environment and interpersonal relationships as they really are; a commitment to personal change and growth; a personal commitment to enable others to change and grow; and the will and capability to act.

According to Bennis, these leaders of the future can be recognized because they originate rather than imitate, they keep their eye on the distant horizon, they challenge the status quo, they think for themselves rather than following a party line, and they take pains to do the right thing.

Delta Performance Group, a management consulting firm out of Fallbrook, CA, goes beyond recognizing future leaders. They help train people in specific leadership skills: principles of integrity and positive mental attitude, planning and decision-making skills, and enhancing innate initiative and endurance.

Looking over these lists, I can see a lot of traits for my hero. The love he and my heroine share may be timeless, but he's definitely going to be a 21st century leader.

[For more information, see: "21st Century Leadership," by Dr. Edward Wakin, in the May, 1997 issue of Beyond Computing; Organizing Genius (1997), On Becoming a Leader (1994), and An Invented Life (1993) by Warren Bennis; The 9 Natural Laws of Leadership (1995) by Warren Blank; and Future Perfect (1996) by Stan Davis.]