How Hubris Broke Empires

When Napoleon started his Russian campaign in June 1812, nothing could have prepared him for the shock that he and his Great Army were to receive. Or is it really the case?

Indeed, armed with an astounding record of 47 victories and only 3 defeats in his 19-year military career that really started with the recapture of Toulon in 1793, Napoleon felt utterly invincible. Nothing could resist him it seems, and most of his enemies at the time probably felt the same. What could happen to him? We know of the total disaster that ensued, with only 20,000 of the original 600,000 soldiers of the Great Army returning to France.

So what happened? And what are the leadership lessons to be drawn from all this?

One big reason Napoleon failed in the Russian campaign is his enormous ego and hubris – it is not the only reason it turns out, but it very likely tops the list. Equipped with so many victories, having dominated all his European adversaries in the 15 years preceding the invasion of Russia, Napoleon fell victim to thinking that nothing could happen to him, he was always right, nobody knew better than him.

This is far from an isolated case. Our modern world is full of corporate and political leaders who failed hugely because of hubris and their incommensurate ego: Kenneth Lay (Enron), Richard Fuld (Lehman Brothers), George W. Bush (2003 Irak invasion), David Cameron (2016 Brexit referendum), not to mention the White House’s current tenant who famously said in 2016 “I alone can fix it”, to name but a few.

As leaders, it is critical to recognize the signs of hubris. In oneself, but also in others. As you know if you read some of my articles, I am a strong proponent of managing your bosses by giving them feedback even when they don’t want it. If you see the signs of hubris in others, you should speak out to warn them of the potential dangers of their behaviors.

Although some signs of hubris are linked to psychological disorders and can be hard to spot, here are 5 signs of hubris that are more easily identifiable in people and that should raise big red flags in your team or organization.

1. Thinking that you are the only one who can fix a problem or save the world.
2. Having unrealistic expectations about the outcome of an action despite the information readily available to assess it.
3. Not recognizing the value and contributions the team has in addressing a challenge and solving it.
4. Insisting in a language of “I did this” and “I made that”.
5. Having contempt for others’ feedback together with arrogance and pride.

The good news is that, as a leader, you can do something about this in most cases. If you see hubris in another leader, step up and tell him, together with offering feedback on how to correct it. In order not to fall prey to hubris yourself, consider focusing on the following areas:

  • Stay humble. You are not a leader because you know it all. You are a leader because you can build a vision and have people follow you to reach that vision. There will be many times when you do not know something. Just accept this and say it loud and clear: “I do not know!” Likewise, never shy away from asking for help. This is the part of your vulnerability and humanity that will on the contrary enhance your presence as a strong leader.
  • Build a strong cohesive team. As you now know, you will not be able to succeed alone. You cannot fix every problem alone, nor should you. Because if you do that, 2 things will happen: (1) you will be drowning under requests for help and not do your job, and (2) you will definitely start thinking that you are the savior. If you practice your leadership instead to build a high-performance team, you can then rely on the team to bring solutions to problems, to create innovative ways of tackling challenges, to come up with new perspectives on issues.
  • Retain strong ethics. Ethics is a very difficult thing, because most of the times, it is so blurry, so difficult to create an easy black and white decision matrix for a situation we are in. Every single time I was in an ethics training, I found that all scenarios discussed were always edging on the gray line: Although the solution seemed clear, it was also hard to see how it could not create problems of its own. Not to mention the fact that several cultures might answer the same challenge very differently. How to do this then? One thing I remember from one of my former managers is what she called the “Newspaper test”: When in doubt with what seems to be an ethical decision, ask yourself “Would I feel ashamed if my mother saw the course of action I am considering reported on the front page of the newspaper, with my picture next to it?” If you answer yes to this, then your best course of action is not to do it, period.
  • Lastly, do celebrate victory. There is nothing wrong with being happy about a success. Sometimes, we overcome a giant issue, reach a significant milestone, and we have done most of it by ourselves. This is fulfilling. It is also the point where we are the most vulnerable to hubris. In these moments, take a step back and look at who supported you in achieving that giant step. There is almost always someone. And thank them!

In the end, you know what, nobody is perfect. As leaders, we will all be trying to avoid or overcome hubris at a point or another in our career. This is human! The key lies in seeing in ourselves. Sometimes, we cannot do it alone, and we need someone to hold the mirror up to us to hold us accountable for our actions and results. As a leader, that person can be an executive coach. There are plenty of reasons why leaders may want to hire an executive coach. Avoiding or overcoming hubris is definitely one.

I will leave you with 2 quotes that are great reminders about humility:

“I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.” — Albert Einstein

“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist…..Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist” — Stephen Hawking

For comments or questions, please visit my website or contact me at pascal@p-m-coaching.com