Too Proud to Lead
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.
Professor Ben Laker is a renowned scholar and educator tenured to Henley Business School who influences governments and corporations’ policies and practices globally. He writes for Forbes and the Washington Post and publishes research in leading academic and managerial outlets, including the Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. Follow him @DrBenLaker.
David Cobb is a serial entrepreneur who serves the Oceanova group of companies — including The National Centre for Leadership and Management and National College of Education — as CEO. He collaborates with influential thinkers and is regarded by Forbes as a leading expert on disruptive innovation. Follow him @David_C_Cobb.
Rita Trehan is a Fortune 200 Chief Human Resources Officer turned global HR and transformation consultant who advises executives worldwide to create, transform and build sustainable businesses. She writes for the Independent and is the author of Unleashing Capacity: The Hidden Human Resources. Follow her @Rita_Trehan.