Teach & Serve IV, No. 17
Pride
November 28, 2018
… leaders who wish to remain connected and close to their faculties, staffs and students should be careful.
We know pride goeth before the fall.
Pride.
In order to be effective, leaders must have a healthy amount of pride and they must have a relatively substantial amount of ego to go along with it. One does not become a leader without a fairly robust opinion of oneself. There are many slings and arrows with which one inevitably contends in leadership and possessing a well developed and centered view of self provides armor to deflect and shield oneself from them.
However, leaders who wish to remain connected and close to their faculties, staffs and students should be careful.
We know pride goeth before the fall.
There are many psychological challenges good leaders face. There are many ways the very act of leadership can play tricks on good leaders. Excellent leaders tend to produce excellent results. They often have their staffs and schools operating at high levels. They typically enjoy success in their work and initiatives. They are congratulated. They are praised.
Each of these things can lead to a burgeoning pride.
And that is fine. Pride, kept in appropriate context and measure, is necessary for good leadership.
An overabundance of pride is not.
Effective leaders who wish to remain so must strike a balance in terms of pride. Too little pride can lead to weak leadership. Too much pride can lead to overbearing leadership.
Pride in ones leadership is good. It is important. It should also be monitored appropriately.