Break the Spell of Hubristic Leadership

Hubristic leadership is a current topic of interest among researchers because it’s a risk among those in leadership positions in every walk of life (e.g. religion, the miliary, politics, research etc.), in any public or private Corporation (and smaller organizations), across service and industry sectors. Hubristic leadership impacts corporate health and the well-being of people who comprise the corporate culture.

Studies report that highly successful people - especially those in positions of power - may be more prone to hubristic traits. Dr. Dennis Tourish is a professor of leadership and organization studies at the University of Sussex. His research interests include “the dark side of leadership” and his publications cover leadership and cults, scientific fraud and meaningless research, and dysfunctional leadership. He performed a thematic analysis of the current research about hubris. While leaders require self-confidence, he defines hubristic leadership as “grotesque over-self-confidence” and unhealthy optimism in one’s abilities. Behavioural symptoms stem from a belief that their ideas and decisions are the right ones and that they are indispensable to the future of the organization. They also tend to draw upon “gut instinct” and apply confirmation bias to discount any evidence that contradicts their ideas or plans.

Another perspective of hubris was published by Claxton, Owen and Sadler-Smith (2015), entitled: Hubris in leadership: A peril of unbridled intuition? They purport that intuition that is “unchecked or unbridled” can lead to hubristic behaviour. This suggests that when hubris is not associated with personality factors or ego, it may be avoided when leaders implement checks and balances.

The critical question is: what’s the impact of hubristic leadership? Sadler-Smith, Akstinaite, and Robinson et al (2017) conducted a review of hubristic leadership and found:

“… hubristic leaders over-estimate their own abilities and believe their performance to be superior to that of others; as a consequence, they make over-confident and over-ambitious judgements and decisions… hubristic leaders tend to be resistant to criticism, and invulnerable to and contemptuous of the advice of others…”

During your career, you may have crossed paths with someone who exhibits possible signs of hubristic leadership. Their response to every idea, suggestion for improvement or a different way of viewing a solution is: “we’ve considered or done this or that and we have all the solutions in place.” Indifference to ideas and other opinions is a marker for hubristic leadership. “Major” innovation begins with a reality check - every potential idea or novel solution could not possibly be known or fully explored. Studies report that hubristic leadership threatens psychological safety and eventually extinguishes opposing viewpoints due to fear of negative consequences. When the corporate culture lacks a collective mindset that is open and objective, room for improvement and discovery is impossible.

My colleagues who work in higher education or for professional regulatory colleges, may find this article of particular interest. A rapid response article in the British Medical Journal (2019): Medical professionalism and anti hubris, introduces a potential pitfall of a sustained focus on competency development, maintenance and advancement. It is posited that professionals who attain advanced competencies may unintentionally enter into “a state of hubris”. Attention needs to be given to anti-hubris competencies such as humility, acknowledging limitations and actively seeking input from colleagues, other professionals and clients.

Consider this editorial article in the British Medical Journal (2019), entitled: Foundation of wisdom: “I don’t know.” Socrates believed that understanding one’s ignorance is wisdom because one individual cannot hold all the answers or solutions. Innovative solutions to complex problems, societal or system issues requires collaboration, partnerships and a diverse network of people with varied knowledge, skills and experience. Reflect upon the multi-dimensional impact of insufficient access to affordable, safe housing and healthy food (food security). These two grave issues in municipalities are directly linked to mental health, addictions, health care usage and costs.

Dr. Dennis Tourish suggests that hubris can be reduced in Corporations, this begins with formation of the board. Members who are outsiders to the business of the Corporation are more likely to ask provocative questions or criticize ideas and proposed decisions. Furthermore, he suggests that the role of followers (employees with a reporting relationship) needs to be recast. They should be welcomed as critical appraisers of the leadership team’s ideas, proposed decisions and strategic plans. Finally, one key finding of high performance teams is their ability to routinely engage in respectful, open disagreement and constructive criticism.

Cinder to Flame helps Corporations maximize cost containment and quality in service delivery through a strategic program that builds a healthy corporate culture to ignite “major” innovation.

When those in leadership positions open the door to scrutiny, the walls of hubris begin to crumble.

In stark contrast to hubristic leadership is humility and vulnerability. Explore these anti-hubris traits in this article: Senior Managers Can Be Superheroes https://www.cindertoflame.ca/post/senior-managers-can-be-superheroes

? Deborah (Ellen) Wildish, Cinder to Flame 2022-Present. All Rights Reserved.

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