I’ve had the good fortune to meet some exceptional leaders in my professional life. Sadly, I’ve had an up-close view, as well, of those leaders who have turned self-aggrandisement into a fine art. The question is, “When did self-aggrandisement become such a leadership imperative?” I’m convinced that many of the leaders who fall into this latter domain are either fully aware of their tendencies but are indifferent to their impact, or live in oblivion of their behavioural patterns. Either way, the consequences are damaging.
Self-aggrandisement is self-glorification. It is when leaders assign themselves praise, achievement, credit and the title of “chief of getting things done around here.” In other words, they are ruled by self-absorption and create businesses that orbit their ego.
When this is the mindset that characterises leaders, how they impact employees and the workplace is not pretty. In some cases, it can even become perilous to the welfare of the business.
Leaders driven by self-aggrandisement revel in having the spotlight shine on them at all times. These individuals have a healthy appetite for attention. Often, they suck all of the oxygen out of the room because of their knack for being loud, overconfident and, well, taxing on everyone’s nerves.
Let me use some strong language here. These leaders may, from time to time, extinguish the lights of those individuals in their orbit. They may never have learnt how to lift up others, or worse, may be unwilling to do so. The motivation can go either way.
Vanity may drive a leader’s appetite for self-aggrandisement. I suspect that it’s quite heady and, in many cases, difficult to resist the fawning and fandom that comes with the job. I imagine, as well, that to have people ingratiating themselves to be a part of the leader’s orbit can deliver a bit of an ego rush.
What’s enticing for these leaders is the opportunistic glory that comes with the ability to wield power and authority. They believe that the more grandiose their brand becomes, the more powerful their clout will become in the universe in which they operate. In some symbiotic environments, this works.
Self-aggrandising behaviours can have a damaging effect in the workplace by normalising the self-promoting agendas of some leaders and disregarding the efforts of employees. When these behaviours become endemic, they sow seeds of discord and breed bitterness in the workplace. Culture corrodes over time.
Enthusiasm becomes stifled in the face of self-aggrandising behaviours. Today’s enlightened employee communities are not long-suffering like earlier counterparts. They will not continue to expend effort, enthusiasm and energy if they believe that their contributions are being squandered by unappreciative leaders.
In today’s multi-generational workforce environments, there’s a generation that abhors leaders taking undeserved and unearned credit for outcomes generated through the effort of others. This generation is also not a silent one that will allow what they consider to be leadership misdeeds to go unchallenged.
As the world goes into one of the most modern eras in history, the rise in enlightened employee communities should not be underestimated. It’s a time where business environments will no longer be echo chambers for promoting the beliefs and desires of self-serving leaders.
It’s a time that demands that leaders affirm their fitness to lead from an authentic place. This will require some deep, introspective work on the part of leaders. It will entail discovering humility, uncovering blind spots and unmasking hidden propellants of dysfunctional behaviours. That’s what authenticity demands from leaders who want to be forces for good and sources of inspiration.
Leaders who are obsessed with their own glory misread a critical indicator. They mistake the clamour of mass employee exodus for applause.
