Hubristic Leadership and Trump (1 of 2)
The media most prominently mention narcissism as Trump’s key personality characteristic. I will discuss this topic in a later post. Although Trump’s narcissism influences the way he leads, I think the hubris personality characteristic best explains Trump’s leadership. Unlike narcissism hubris does not have a common, clear definition. Hubris, however, has enough clarity to allow its use in connection with leadership. Hubris also has some similarity to two other concepts found in the leadership literature, core self-evaluation and intuition.
The research literature sees hubris as an acquired personality disorder characterized by recklessness, contempt, and lack of attention to details. This disorder becomes manifest in the holding of largely unfettered power.… Read the rest
Hubris, Trump, and Leadership (2 of 2)
Given the dangers, sometimes very significant, of hubristic decision making and leadership, what can minimize or prevent dangerous overreach by leaders? Unfortunately, the very adverse consequences of hubristic leaders are often not known ahead of time, which makes for a particularly difficult challenge. Also, the past successes of hubristic leaders often make them unwilling or unable to change.
In political circles doubt often becomes a luxury the hubristic leader sees as unaffordable. This adverse belief about doubt becomes compelling when the leader surrounds himself or herself with “yes” persons. Trump faces an especially difficult situation because he operated his real estate and branding businesses as a small family business where he alone made all the key decisions.… Read the rest
Recent Comments