CEOs, Don’t Let Fear and Paranoia Sink Your Leadership

As executives rise to power, they are apt to become arrogant. They also, perhaps surprisingly, tend to become more fearful — they hate the idea that they might appear to be vulnerable or incompetent, and they get paranoid about the colleagues around them. This arrogance and the underlying fear make them less effective. The author shares a story from his own career to illustrate this point — a time when he felt frozen about what to do and foolish for feeling that way. To his surprise, when he was honest about his confusion with colleagues, they came to his aid. Three steps can help executives manage the tendencies toward arrogance and fearfulness: getting out of the C suite, trusting colleagues more than they’re inclined to, and giving people enough attention.