The Hero Prototype

In his heroes keynote, psychologist Philip Zimbardo discusses his work with the Heroic Imagination Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to forming "cultures of integrity" throughout corporate America.

To begin, Zimbardo identifies two types of "heroes." The first is an impulsive hero; someone who reacts instinctively to high-risk situations. Zimbardo uses the example of a case in New York, in which a man jumped into the subway tracks to save a fallen stranger. The other type of hero Zimbardo mentions is proactive; he takes the time to mediate and reflect, eventually acting out against injustice. Zimbardo uses the example of Michael Winston, the man who revealed the corrupt behaviors at Countrywide Mortgage, a company that played a large role in the economic crisis a few years prior.

An informed psychologist, Winston joined the team at the Heroic Imagination Project as the director of corporate initiatives. Along with Zimbardo, Winston helps conceive programs that are rooted in the understanding that "those with the most upstanding principles end up as the most profitable."