Achieved Strategies

Make no mistake this is not about self-confidence. This is about leaders who believe they are superior towards others.  This is about arrogance.

Let’s get the two distinctions out of the way before I continue.

Self-confidence manifests in the way you carry yourself in your interactions and actions.  Self-confidence is something developed over time and often an outcome of success AND failures.

Arrogance exceeds self-confidence in that the leader believes his talents, ideas, and results make him better or special over others.

Sorry for stating the obvious – Self-confidence is vital for a leader.  And the truly aware, self-confident leader recognizes and accepts her limitations.  And she actively works to balance or eliminate them.

Arrogant leaders, however, are more prone to succumbing to their limitations. The impact of an arrogant leader is too costly for business to let continue. A New Era Leader must recognize and do something about these unacceptable impacts:

• Alienated staff – Arrogance divides a team. People inevitably believe their input doesn’t matter, that they don’t matter.

• Success constricted – We don’t like to support people who believe that they are better than others. Success levels for these leaders are limited. Team engagement is all over the place and an unsettled nature dominates. Innovation is stifled.

• Impact negated – Leadership is about people. Leadership is about supporting people’s success.  All said leadership should yield a positive impact on people.  Arrogant leaders do not inspire. Consequently, they do not have a positive impact on people.

A Chinese proverb proclaims, “The arrogant army will lose the battle for sure.” A leader has choice as to what her internal state is and the way it manifests in her leadership style. In the end, a leader’s arrogance will be her downfall, losing the “battle” and letting down those needed to win.

Photo Courtesy of Hubzay