In the late 1800s, Max Planck was advised by a professor to not become a theoretical physicist because the professor argued that physics was almost fully understood with very little else to discover. Fortunately for all of us, Max disregarded this advice out of a curiosity to understand physics better and would eventually advance the idea of quantum theory—a brand new understanding of physics.
About Hubris: What Makes a Leader Not Worth Following?
In LEAD 24/7, we explore what makes a leader worth following. I think it is helpful to also pose the reverse question: what makes someone not worth following?
Above all others, there is one vice that I believe harms the most: hubris. Almost all epics and many fables deal with hubris (Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, Beowulf, etc.). Even the first sour note in the Bible comes from hubris: Adam and Eve’s eating from the tree of knowledge, trying to become God-like. This message from past generations is clear: hubris is something detrimental to human flourishing.
We as humans are not perfect in any sense, but we love to pretend that we are. We yell louder to convince others we are right. We convince ourselves that we understand the world is how it actually is, like Max’s professor. We love to categorize things and then make these categories into rules that everything must follow, rather than a framework to shore up our limited understanding. We pretend our life is in our complete control and that we are the authors of our own destinies. We excuse ourselves when we fall short but struggle to do the same for others.
4 Ways Hubris Is Detrimental to Great Leadership
Here are some reasons why hubris is detrimental, especially for those in leadership positions.
1. We stop listening.
We shut out any voice but our own internal one. Our internal dialogue overwhelms any external ones. We think others just aren’t listening to us, so we decrease our consideration of their ideas and their value to us, which leads to the next problem.
Learn about the Three Ears of Great Listening >>
2. We stop learning.
Despite how social learning is throughout our lives, hubris makes us believe we know more than anyone else. We stop considering others’ viewpoints almost entirely. We think we are the only ones that can possibly manifest solutions.
3. We stop helping.
The social cost of being “right” almost always discourages a team, which will become less effective—if not completely derailed—toward any goal. Beyond this, creativity to solve problems dies and the team stops learning as well.
4. We start harming.
Besides just getting derailed from a goal and hindering a team, hubris erodes trust, which is contagious. When a team has little trust, personal conflict and immaturity proliferate and dictate direction. If hubris to settle conflict is the cultural norm, then others quickly pick up on the social cue and use it liberally.
Accept Imperfection & Stay Curious
In contrast, accepting our imperfection is not a path toward learned helplessness, but rather freedom from artificial constraints. We are free to learn again, to revise again, and to understand better. If we insist on being “right,” we lose these abilities, most times causing harm to ourselves and others.
Be like Max Planck, not his professor—stay curious.
Related ideas to explore: humility, conflict management, interpersonal vs. task conflict, giving and receiving feedback