The Faulty Outlook of Arrogant Leadership
Guest Author: Daryl D. Green
What happens when a leader gets side-tracked by his own personal pride? This is a question most organizations dismiss. Some say it is unimportant to the organization’s mission. An arrogant leader can’t hurt an organization, can he? Let’s examine this proposition that arrogant leadership can inhabit one’s capacity to make wise decisions. Additionally, arrogance usually comes from pride.
Effective leaders understand the consequences of self-gratification. However, bad leaders don’t. They focus on getting the right organizational structure in place but never evaluate their inadequacies. Unfortunately, many times a manager makes wrong decisions because of pride. There have been prideful leaders throughout world history. On the contrary, good leaders understand prideful living. Renowned author Calvin Miller argues that all leaders lead by team building. They understand when to solicit help from employees and to acknowledge their own mistakes.
Kouzes and Posner, leadership experts, maintain that even exemplary leaders gain the support of all of the individuals involved in a task; they state, “Titles are granted, but it’s your behavior that wins you respect.”
Finally, the foundation of hypocrisy is our pride. Proverbs 11:2 states, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.” Therefore, leaders need to possess a humble spirit in order to effectively manage the 21st century organization.
References:
Miller, C. (1995). The Empowered Leader. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Kouzes, J. & Posner, Posner, B. (1995). The evolution of management thought. San Francisco: The Jossey-Bass Management Series.
© 2007 by Daryl D. Green
Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of four books, including More than a Conqueror: Achieving Personal Fulfillment in Government Service. Do you want to improve your life? Do you want to make better decisions? If you answer “yes,” then go to the ‘master decision-making’ website at http://www.darylgreen.org.
Over on my personal blog today is a great piece by award winning author Keith Rosen: “Why Should I Talk To You?” - here
Tomorrow: “When It Comes To Making Presentations - The Most Successful Leaders Are “Seekers”
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POSTED IN: Leadership Skills
2 opinions for The Faulty Outlook of Arrogant Leadership
Charlie
Jun 28, 2007 at 1:37 am
True. I haven’t heard on an organization that became successful because of its arrogant leader. Mostly, arrogant leaders are the downfall of organizations. Because of their pride, other problems get involved and the whole things becomes complicated.
Howie
Jun 28, 2007 at 6:37 pm
I’ve met many arrogant leaders and I believe that none of the companies they are in are proud to have them. They fail to identify the real purpose of leadership and that’s their downfall.
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