The Superhero Syndrome: Avoiding The Trap Of Over-Dependence

Forbes

09-07-2025

Contemporary art collage of man and woman, employee looking on their superhero shadow symbolizing ... More success. Concept of development, career growth, prediction, motivation, strategy, ad
Every organization has its superheroes.
The legendary problem-solvers. The closers. The high-performers who don't just meet the goal. They rewrite the rules. These are the executives who rescue failed launches, walk into boardrooms with presence and deliver quarter after quarter under pressure.
Their achievements become lore. Their instincts, unquestioned. Their style, mimicked. And often, they become the center of gravity around which strategy, culture and confidence orbit. Short of leaping buildings in a single bound, they have achieved heroics no one else have.
Until they leave.
And suddenly, what looked like strength reveals itself as fragility. What felt like vision turns out to be tunnel vision. Strategy narrows. Risk tolerance drops. And the successor, if there even is one, stands in the shadow of a giant. Expected to deliver the same heroic feats in half the time with none of the playbook.
This is the trap of the superhero syndrome aka savior or hero complex.
And it has quietly become one of the biggest threats to leadership continuity today.
The Codependency Of Excellence
It's easy to see how organizations get here.
Someone performs well, takes on more, delivers again. Over time, the system starts bending around them. They're handed the biggest projects. Given the most trust. Their way of thinking starts to shape how decisions are made. What used to be a team effort becomes centered on one person's rhythm.
Eventually, that rhythm becomes the blueprint.
And the organization stops asking what kind of leadership it might need later.
That's when succession begins to thin out.
In a Gallup study of large-company CHROs, only 3% strongly agreed that their organization is excellent at identifying and selecting the right people for manager roles.
And even when the next names are picked, the development that follows is often shallow. Only 22% of employees say their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. The system may know who to watch, but not how to grow them.
Still, the pattern continues.
The top performer becomes the model.
The model becomes the mold.
Eventually, the mold becomes myth.
Many superstar leaders don't delegate. Not because they won't, but because the message they've heard is clear: no one else quite measures up. They've been counted on to fix what breaks, carry what slips, hold what's fragile. And so the organization keeps leaning on them.
Over time, their excellence turns into orbit.
Everything begins to revolve around what they know how to do.
Even when the future might need something else entirely.
To new adventures! A young, beautiful girl, pretending she is a superwoman, and flying in a classic ... More superman pose, but with superman red cloak, that is flattering on the wind.
Relying on top talent isn't the problem. Every organization needs anchors. People who raise the bar, step in under pressure, and deliver when it counts. Prioritizing their growth, visibility, and opportunity often keeps performance steady during change.
But when that reliance turns into dependency, the system narrows. The leader becomes the plan. And readiness elsewhere begins to fade. Great organizations still bet on their best. But they also invest in building capacity beyond them. Strength at the top should expand the bench, not become the whole game.
What Happens When The Cape Comes Off?
Here's where the risk sharpens.
If succession planning is thin, or built to clone the last great hero, the organization scrambles when that leader exits. The next in line might be capable but untested. They don't inherit just a role. They inherit a legacy. And they are expected to perform at full strength, with less time and no infrastructure.
That's not just a leadership risk. It's a strategic one.
If your strategy is anchored in one person's way of thinking, it cannot stretch to meet what the future demands.
Succession is not about casting the next hero.
It's about preparing someone to lead in a different world.
The Batman–Robin Principle
So how do you prepare future leaders for realities they haven't yet faced?
Think Batman and Robin. Not as comic relief, but as a method. A model built on mentorship, shared weight and stretch. Robin doesn't show up ready. He becomes ready. Not by copying Batman, but by walking beside him, enduring his own trials, and eventually crafting his own way.
Holy succession plan, Batman!
But really—this model is more relevant than it gets credit for.
Here are five moves that reflect that approach.
Not just belief in potential or skill but belief in self. Help future leaders understand how their strengths show up under pressure. Confidence grows when someone sees their reflection in challenge and knows what it means. This is not performance coaching. It is identity work.
Simulations help. But the real proving ground is lived complexity. Invite them into disruption. Give them the weight of real decisions. Not as observers. As actors.
Imagine handing a rising leader full accountability for an underperforming business unit. Their only support is a trusted mentor on call, not on standby. No parachute. Just pressure, feedback and the space to figure it out. Not every move will be right. That's the point. The fire teaches what frameworks can't.
Every superhero has their gear. In leadership, tools look different. For some, it's clarity. For others, it's autonomy, a sounding board or a signal that they have permission to shape the outcome. Don't guess. Ask. Watch what fuels them and what stalls them. The right tool depends on the mission.
Heroics can be isolating. Don't let excellence go unnamed. When someone steps up, be specific. What did they do? How did it help? What does it signal about their capacity? General praise does not build readiness. Clear recognition does.
Even the most seasoned leader needs a guide. Not someone who cheers them on but someone who names what others won't. The mentor who knows when to push and when to pause. Coaching is not a check-in. It is a commitment.
The superhero hurries forward. A young man in a suit with a red cape, superman. The concept of a ... More successful and effective businessman
Beyond One Universe
Overreliance on top talent may feel safe. But it creates fragility. A single leader may have shaped your present, but they cannot shape every version of the future. What succession requires is not just a person. It requires a system that prepares more than one type of leader. People who don't just mimic the past but are ready to navigate what's next.
This is when succession moves from replacement to readiness. From filling a seat to equipping someone to face what they've never faced before.
Comic book legend Stan Lee once said, 'The world always needs heroes, whether they're superheroes or not.'
The leaders of tomorrow may not wear capes. But they will carry weight. And if we've done our part, they will carry it in their own way. With clarity. With courage. With conviction.
Excelsior!