When Leaders Forget Core Values
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
– Lord John Dalberg-Acton, 19th-century historian and moralist
When I was studying leaders at University of Michigan Athletics, it was puzzling to observe humble individuals gain leadership positions, only to become arrogant and act untouchable over time. Why did they change?
Our DNA was passed down by those who utilized reciprocal altruism to aid one another in creating safety and survival. Those are the communities of people who survived, enabling the communities we have today. Nevertheless, our self-centered ego never leaves us. For those who gain power, their ego can overwhelm them.
Brian Klaas’s book Corruptible explains how ego-centered decision-making can evolve.
Through past experiences, communities and organizations establish reinforcing systems that hold leaders accountable and hold each other responsible for:
A servant purpose that is demonstrated through:
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- building trust
- respecting each other
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But powerful leaders can prevent feedback from peers and subordinates, as well as from those systems that reinforce culture. When the reinforcing systems stop holding leaders accountable to a shared standard, many leaders start to believe they are smarter than others, and they seek to guide the rest.
We will devote the month of May to sharing more on this topic. Some themes we will explore are:
- Why some good leaders change – How is it that when some of us become leaders we lose our perspective on fairness, integrity, respect, and collaboration?
- Strong Culture Guardrails – What can help prevent leaders from becoming more self-interested than team-focused?
- Required or Missing Leadership Attributes – We will share the fundamental attributes of sustainably successful leaders and how we may anticipate those who may let power go to their heads.
We look forward to your perspective on this topic, and thank you for your desire to learn and grow to become the leader you desire to be.