5 Traits to Distinguish Confident vs. Arrogant Leaders
5 Traits to Distinguish Confident vs. Arrogant Leaders
The sinking of the Costa Condordia cruise ship off of Giglio, Italy is a terrible tragedy made even worse by the actions of the top leader- the ship captain.
One top executive has done so much damage to Carnival Cruise line that I don’t even want to tabulate the costs. Now it is easy to watch the news and be glad that isn’t happen in your company, but is it, in lesser degrees? Do you let the confidence of some executives bridge over in to arrogance?
1. They openly ask for feedback from others. Confident leaders are constantly looking to find out what they can improve on so they actively solicit feedback from ALL levels in the organization.
2. They are willing to take an unpopular stand. Great leaders look to be respected by others. They don’t see out to be liked by all as they realize that at times decisions they have to make will not be ones all will love.
3. They don’t show off. Top leaders realize that their value is in drawing the best in all around them. So they don’t show off or try to make themselves stand out as wonderful to anyone party.
4. They think strategically, act with safety. Great leaders are risk mitigators. They won’t put others or projects at risk without having sound thought out decisions on the what and why.
5. They own the consequences of decisions. Great leaders absorb the blame and share the fame. They took ownership of all that goes wrong as they were the one on the watch when it happened.
As you can see, the Ship Captain from the Costa Concordia didn’t demonstrate any of the above traits. He had slipped from “confidence” to “arrogance”. When your leaders live in this realm they are literally “drinking their own Kool-Aid.”
If you see any of your team slipping in from confidence to arrogance reign them in immediately or the consequences could be deadly.
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