5 Ways Arrogance Struggles on its Own
Meaningful service and happy feelings don’t always go together. But arrogance – the hidden enemy of leadership – makes the burdens of leadership heavier.
Leadership is fulfilling but ease feels better than constant challenge. Leaders care more, worry more, and struggle more than people who checkout and go home at 5.
Arrogance creeps in and chokes your potential. Arrogance carries weight on its own.
5 ways arrogance struggles on its own:
- Giving answers but not asking questions.
- Pouring energy into face-saving.
- Needing to save the day. Look how splendid I am!
- Hoarding responsibility, authority, and power.
- Rushing to help but refusing to receive help.
Anything that puts you at the center and pushes others out adds weight to the burdens of leadership.
Responsible offloading:
Leaders practice humility by sharing authority. Yes, you’re always responsible even when you delegate authority.
Trust competent people. Place weight from your shoulders on competent others. Anyone who is 70% to 80% ready is ready to take on new responsibilities.
Don’t throw weight on the unsuspecting. Discuss taking on new responsibilities. High performers love weight. Reluctance to take on weight is figuring out how to succeed.
Growth requires struggle. When you rush to lift weight from people, you restrict their potential. Reject false compassion. Protecting people from struggle makes them weak.
Let people struggle and monitor discouragement or frustration. Stay available. Check-in. Don’t save the day. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean they shouldn’t do it.
Don’t do competent people’s work for them. Saving the day puts you at the center and leads to incompetence in others.
Before lifting weight from someone’s shoulders, ask if there is someone on the team who can help.
Make it safe to tap out. The only way to maximize potential is to try, fail, and try again.
Who on your team is ready to carry weight?
How can leaders learn to expand potential by putting weight on competent people?
Still curious:
You Want People to Take Ownership – But How
5 Easy Ways to Delegate Authority Without Losing Control of your Team
Another insightful post! These lessons were so valuable to me and to the young(er) leaders I continue to mentor. Arrogance can be so insidious in the ways it creeps into our leadership habits if we are not constantly aware of the warning signs. I’m forwarding this email to several people this morning as a reminder.
Thanks Jim. Of all the topics I write about this one feels most needed. Everything good in leadership begins with humility. It’s a topic I continue to grapple with. Arrogance is a slithery thing.
TY so much for your instruction and counsel. Though I am employed in a non- traditional business environment, so many of these blogs are relevant to my workplace. This particular one is EXACTLY what I am dealing with now and helps me define and navigate the leadership challenge I wrestle with daily in this season.
Thanks Sandy. I find that leadership principles apply to a broad range of environments. I’m glad you found something useful. I’d be surprised if most leaders didn’t find some application for these ideas. I wish you well.
Why did you choose to use an image of “choking” hands using a black person? Seems racist.
I think the hands belong to a white person with grease covered hands. Look at the fingernails. In either case, racism has nothing to do with it. People of color struggle with arrogance just like people who have no color.
Really R Aurigemma, that’s your takeaway?