The Perils of Ego in Leadership
How a Lack of Intellectual Humility, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and the Illusion of Depth Create Bad Leaders
Leadership is the ability to implement plans based on the ability to make decisions with confidence and rally people around the vision. However, beneath the surface, there’s a fine line between leadership and misguided arrogance. When leaders lack intellectual humility, fall prey to the Dunning-Kruger effect, and are deceived by the illusion of depth, the results can be disastrous for their teams and the organization.
Intellectual Humility: The Missing Virtue
At the core of great leadership lies intellectual humility. It’s the understanding that no one person can know everything and that openness to learning from others is critical to growth. Unfortunately, many leaders fall into the trap of believing their position automatically equates to greater knowledge. This assumption breeds a closed-mindedness that stifles innovation, feedback, and progress.
Leaders who lack intellectual humility create environments where new ideas are seen as threats rather than opportunities. This not only prevents them from recognizing their own blind spots but also discourages employees from speaking up, offering diverse…