Hero Culture Is Hurting Your Team

The Hidden Cost of Rewarding Individual Visibility Over True Teamwork

Picture this: your team pours its heart into a project. In final tests, a critical bug pops up—not in your new code, but in an old, neglected component. Your team warned the owners; they did nothing. Then the so-called “hero” engineer, who conveniently ignored the bug before, races in and fixes it, “saving” the project. Senior leaders heap praise on him while your committed team and the architects of that robust system get no credit. Sound familiar?

In reality, great engineering is rarely about one superstar. It’s about a group of skilled, passionate team players working together to solve tough problems. Think of it like a sports team—even the most talented player needs teammates to pass the ball, defend, and score. No championship is won by one person alone.

This newsletter issue is all about why we should shift our focus away from the mythical hero and move toward building strong teams. Ready to trade in your cape for a solid pair of collaboration boots? Let’s dive in.

The “Hero“ and the “Glue“: A Story of Two Approaches

Let me share a short story about two engineers, showcasing different work styles.

Hank is a “hero.” He always picks high-impact projects and avoids any kind of boring, invisible work. Hank is quick to announce every change he makes, even if it’s a small tweak. He stays late to seem busy and ensures everyone notices his every move. He knows when to sprint to save key projects in a way that guarantees he gets the credit. In short, Hank masters the art of being seen.

On the other hand, there’s Gina, the “glue” of the team. She is the quiet, collaborative force behind the team. Gina mentors her colleagues and takes on the crucial but invisible tasks that no one else wants to do. She fixes problems before they become crises—often before anyone even notices. Gina works diligently, not for the spotlight, but because she cares about the team’s success.

Yet, when performance reviews come around, management rewards Hank’s visible efforts. Despite Gina’s steady, essential work, her contributions remain unnoticed. Hank gets promoted and Gina just receives a pat on her back.

This raises a question for all of us: Is it fair that those who capture the spotlight are rewarded more than those who keep the team running smoothly?

Prevention is overlooked, while heroic fixes are celebrated.

The Myth of the Lone Genius

For years, we have woven the lone genius narrative into our culture. Stories of solitary brilliance fill history books and tech blogs alike. However, this narrative is flawed—it suggests that one person can shoulder all the responsibility, which is rarely the case in software engineering. Problems are complex and demand a mix of skills and perspectives.

When we celebrate only the hero, we overlook the contributions of everyone else. This approach can discourage collaboration and lead to burnout, as the so-called hero becomes overwhelmed by expectations. In our modern, fast-paced work environment, it is crucial to nurture every voice on the team.

A well-known African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” When entire teams unite, they become more resilient to change, excel at knowledge transfer, and maintain a consistent pace without burning out.

Why Hero Culture Fails (And Why We Keep Falling for It)

Heroics make great headlines and look impressive. But in the real world, relying on a single “hero” to save the day is a red flag—a stopgap fix for a broken system. True, sustainable success comes from building a collaborative team, not from one-off, unsustainable stunts.

• Heroes Create Bottlenecks
  When one person hoards knowledge or control, the team grinds to a halt. Heroes often equate vulnerability with weakness, refusing to delegate or document. The result? A bus factor of 1.

• Heroes Breed Resentment
  Nothing kills morale faster than watching one person take credit for a team’s work. Even worse, when heroes burn out (and they always do), they leave chaos in their wake. As Lao Tzu wisely said, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

• Heroes Prioritize Short-Term Over Sustainability
  Quick fixes over clean code. Hacks over solid architecture. Hero culture rewards short-term wins while ignoring long-term costs. Heroes act like Tactical Tornadoes, prioritizing instant gratification over sustainable results.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

—Lao Tzu

Cultivating Team Players, Not Glory Seekers

Building a culture that celebrates team players over heroes isn’t easy. Here are some ways to nurture that mindset:

1. Redefine “Impact”: Stop rewarding firefighting. Start celebrating prevention. Did someone automate a tedious process, improve test coverage, or mentor a junior dev? These are wins.

2. Recognize Collective Success: Celebrate wins as a team. Avoid placing all accolades on one person. Recognize the efforts of everyone who contributed. Shared success motivates team members to support each other.

3. Foster Cross-Functional Shadowing: Create a culture where engineers can shadow teams, such as customer success, marketing, and sales. This enables them to understand different frustrations and to build better products for our customers.

4. Rotate Responsibilities and Break Knowledge Silos: Avoid creating dependency on a single individual. Encourage developers to work in pairs or small groups when possible. Rotate critical tasks to spread knowledge across the team. This not only reduces risk but also builds a more resilient team.

But Wait—Can’t We Have Some Heroes?

Absolutely! Individual excellence matters. The goal isn’t to stifle talent but to channel it effectively. Think of your “A players” as sparks for innovation, not as crutches the team leans on. Instead of working in isolation, these top performers should collaborate and inspire others. When they share their knowledge and skills, everyone benefits.

Gene Kim, author of The Phoenix Project, puts it simply: “A great team doesn’t mean that they had the smartest people. What made those teams great is that everyone trusted one another. It can be a powerful thing when that magic dynamic exists.” The same idea applies here. Heroes do best in teams that build on their strengths and make the whole group shine. When individual talent is supported by a strong team, innovation grows and success multiplies.

“A great team doesn’t mean that they had the smartest people. What made those teams great is that everyone trusted one another. It can be a powerful thing when that magic dynamic exists.”

― Gene Kim, The Phoenix Project

Final Thoughts

The next time you’re tempted to lionize the developer who “saved the day,” ask yourself: What system failed to make this hero necessary?

Building a team-first culture isn’t glamorous. It requires patience, humility, and a willingness to share the spotlight. But the payoff is code that outlasts any individual, teams that grow stronger over time, and ironically, more innovation. After all, diverse perspectives beat lone geniuses every time.

Stay curious, stay humble, and keep building—together!

P.S. If your organization has some heroes—or better yet, if leadership rewards that kind of hero culture—please share this post gently with them. Remember, heroes aren’t born; they’re made by broken systems. Let’s fix the system together.

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