At VIM Executive Coaching we are well aware, perhaps as the result of pandemic, virtual and the collective uncertainty of the times that arrogance appears to be spiraling out of control. If you feel that way, you are not alone. We have received such feedback from many clients: arrogance and its big brother “ego,” appear to be at an all-time high.
In the inflationary cycle of nearly everything our society has been experiencing, from groceries to travel to healthcare costs to fuel, it is arrogance that is leading far ahead of the pack. VIM Executive Coaching can imagine conditions where the pricing of consumer goods will recede, as will fuel and air travel, but arrogance could be a tough one to reign-in.
At a time
At a time when organizations should be celebrating mindfulness and greater compassion, “The Great Resignation” continues with unabated ferocity. In fact, we recently read an article where people quitting one job and accepting another, are quitting the new positions in droves before the first day of work.
Why is this occurring? Upon being questioned, the workers have shared that they cannot abide the work cultures; how those cultures don’t listen, don’t respect them, don’t relate to their situations and make unnecessary demands. They allege their bosses are narrow-minded, arrogant and egotistical.
About four months ago, Robert Dean Duncan of Forbes magazine interviewed Nate Zinser, PhD, one of America’s foremost experts on motivation and performance, on the topic of arrogance. Allow us to briefly summarize three important points from the article. According to Dr. Zinser:
- [The myth that] “confidence equals outspoken arrogance. No, confidence is a quiet sense of certainty. You can be powerfully confident without being considered conceited or arrogant. If you happen to be a quiet, more introverted individual, rest assured that developing confidence won’t make you any less polite, respectful, and likeable.”
- [The myth that] “confidence is a fixed inherited trait. No, confidence is a quality that you can develop the same way you develop any other skill, ability, or competency– through practice.”
- Finally, “confidence is very situation-specific. You can feel very confident on the basketball court but feel completely insecure in the history classroom and vice versa.”
Unfortunately, far too many executive leaders may deceive themselves into believing that the fact they have developed a healthy dosage of self-importance and arrogance, that others see them as confident leaders. Instead, and we dislike saying this, they come across as reactive, pompous and mean-spirited.
At a time when executives should be mindful
At a time when executive leaders should be mindful many are artificially outspoken, less respectful and less polite; that they feel they were born with an innate leadership sense and their expertise in one area, automatically translates to expertise in all areas.
The mindful executive leader understands that often it is in the quietude of a calm response that carries more impact that reaction; that no one is innately born with traits of leadership rather, it is an art to be developed and no one, especially in this complex organizational web in which we live, can be proficient in everything.
Where the mindful executive must learn to live is in humility. Executive leadership is a precious gift. It is neither a right nor a “directive from above.”
No one in a leadership position should feel as though they need to inflate self-importance but instead to be more mindful of their role in helping others and creating a better work environment for their employees.
What is the ultimate goal? To approach leadership with a greater need for authenticity, compassionate purpose and being responsive in the moment. Anything less is arrogance.