Too Proud to Lead
How Hubris Can Destroy Effective Leadership and What to Do About It
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- £13.99
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- £13.99
Publisher Description
A fascinating investigation into how leaders' confidence can transform into hubris, which has the devastating potential to lead not only to their own downfall, but also to the collapse of entire organizations.
While confidence is a vital attribute for any successful business leader, it is often taken too far – they fall into the pitfalls of hubris and, like Icarus, find themselves flying too close to the sun. Laying out the dangers of arrogant overconfidence for both individuals and organizations, this book explores both the economic and psychological costs of this destructive behaviour, and boldly argues for a new, revolutionary approach to leadership.
Written by three world-renowned experts, Too Proud to Lead provides readers with the essential arsenal of tools for understanding, identifying, anticipating and coping with hubris, in both themselves and in their workplace. Supported by fascinating case studies and enlightening analysis, this is a much-needed antidote to the hubris plague spreading through the leadership of today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A great leader can work magic for a company, but a wildly overconfident one can destroy it just as easily, argue business professor Laker, entrepreneur Cobb, and consultant Trehan in this uneven survey. The authors walk readers through examples of egos gone wrong, such as the tragic rush-to-market fiasco involving the Boeing 737 MAX that was driven by CEO Dennis Muilenburg, GE's "ultimately selfish" Jeff Immelt and his "$24 billion spending spree," and the meteoric rise and epic flameout of WeWork and its cofounder Adam Neumann. But it can be hard to spot telling traits of a budding egomaniac early on, the authors write, since they often present as having the makings of desirable leaders. To avoid dangerous egos, the authors recommend pushing for greater diversity in the boardroom: "Self-satisfied, self-serving, conservative and unchallenged–what better conditions for hubris to take hold and thrive?" While the topic is certainly intruiging, the authors get bogged down in repetition—the anecdotes lead to the same outcome time and time again—and they unconvincingly urge leaders to engage in ruthless self-scrutiny and self-reflection, though those with hubris at the level described seem unlikely to take that advice. Readers can give this a pass.
