Sometime people ask me " what the most dangerous trait in leadership" is. I think they often expect answers like "they take to severe risks" or " the inability to adapt"and yes, these are dangerous traits. but the worst traits a leader can have are: severe self doubt or the opposite, hubris.
Hubris can make anyone fall victim to the biggest trap on the road to success. It can blind someone to any of their faults, or faults in their company or idea. This lack of awareness can make even the strongest fall empires fall.
The trap of hubris
Think about Alexander the great, considerd by many to be one of the greatest commanders in his history. Before he reached 30 years of age, he had conquered most of the know world, from Greece to India. He never lost a battle. However his successes made him arrogant and suspicious of others. He stopped listening to any of his advisors and the demands of his troops.
At one point, after pushing his men relentlessly for ten years, they demanded that they returne home. As he refused to consider the needs of his men, his expanding Empire came to a sudden halt somewhere in the desert. His arrogance was so bad that he often refused to delegate responsibilities to others, so when he died, he didn't name a successor. Because of this, his empire crumbled away.
Countless people throughout history have aspired to be like Alexander, but I consider his story to be a warning.
Signs of falling into the trap
After all, hubris, at times when things are going well can be mistaken for sheer self confidence. However, hubris becomes clear when things start to go wrong.
I have done my best, but they haven't
Imagine that you are the manager of a successful company. One day, a few extremely skilled and high performing employees decide to leave your company. What would you do ?
The hubristic person will convince themselves that the good employees are the ones with the problem, they'd think that the company will be better of without them, and as such will develop an even more arrogant and uncaring attitude. This in turn will mean more and more employees will leave.
The dangerous of habris isn't just a problem in business or leadership either. Indeed, imagine you fell out with a friend because of something mean or cruel they said. If they were habristic, they'd only blame you for the fallout and as a result, They'll never change.