Much has been written on the notion of the trait of “arrogance” on leadership, yet insecurity is equally terrifying in any position of leadership. Yet confidence is crucial in this role is kind of that “sweet spot” of leadership. Both insecurity and arrogance can lead to decisions based not on what is best for kids, but personality. Below is a spectrum of where I see these things fitting.
Insecurity ←—————————- Confidence ——————————> Arrogance
The reason the arrows point out from confidence is that we can sway in certain ways…we will all have moments of insecurity and arrogance, but the best leaders often stay in that middle space.
Here are some of the differences I see in the personality traits as a “first draft”.
*Arrogance is sometimes insecurity in disguise.Just a few notes on this…
**The spectrum goes back and forth…People can deal with bouts of insecurity, confidence, and arrogance. There are also different aspects of our lives where we might show in different areas of this continuum.
I always hope to give solutions on how we can better move from a problem to a solution, but in this case, I think it is necessary to be able to see these things in yourself. Here are some questions you may want to ask of yourself in a leadership role?
- Who do I surround myself with and gravitate towards?
- When challenged, how do I react?
- When new ideas are shared from others, how do you show value and actively listen?
Confidence is crucial to leadership, but it can be a fine line between arrogance and insecurity. All three of these traits can becomes contagious in an organization based on what we model as well. Which would you rather have people exhibit?
