The Leader’s New Clothes
First published in 1837 (in Danish), Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, is about a vain leader getting exposed in front of his subjects by an innocent and truthful little boy. If you have not read the story yourself, let me give you a summary.
A vain and lavish ruler is approached by two con men who claim to be able to weave fabric that is invisible to those who are incompetent or stupid. The ruler hires them, and they set about “weaving” this fabric. Many people come to check on the work—the ruler included—and, seeing nothing on the loom, pretend to see so they will not be thought incompetent or stupid.
Finally, the “clothes” are finished, and the ruler sets off in a parade to show off his new clothes, though he is, in fact, naked. Everyone on the parade route oohs and aahs over his fabulous new outfit for fear of appearing inept or stupid. Finally, a small boy blurts out that the ruler isn’t wearing anything at all. The whole town then acknowledges that, in truth, the ruler is naked. The ruler, however, continues on walking, more proud than ever.
This tale is about two failures that occur in leadership and culture. One is vanity or pride, and the other is pluralistic ignorance. Prideful leaders combined with a culture that enables pluralistic ignorance will result in organizations doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons, all while claiming to be right.
Pride in a leader really is a deadly sin. One of the problems with the English language is the tendency of a single word to have several meanings. For our discussion, we are defining pride as an unreasonable overestimation of one’s own superiority. Everyone should have reasonable self-esteem and confidence (we don’t really want leaders who are not confident), but harmful pride lacks acknowledgement of other people’s value and contribution.
Prideful leaders are dangerous because they make mistakes that are easily seen by those whose vision is not clouded by the leader’s arrogance. Prideful leaders are easily conned by people they believe to be educated, important, or special in some way, making them susceptible to being intentionally misled. Ironically, prideful leaders aren’t necessarily less intelligent or skilled; however, their knowledge and experience are negated when their pride gets in the way.
Pluralistic ignorance occurs when a person believes that everyone else’s opinion about something is different than their own. This can cause a group to go along with a view they do not hold because they think (incorrectly) that most other people in the group do. This can happen when a minority position is wrongly perceived to be the majority position or when the majority position is wrongly perceived to be the minority position.
When you combine these two things, you get disaster. A prideful leader makes a decision that is obviously not in the best interest of the community, and then that decision is adopted and carried forward without scrutiny by the group with each person fearing what others will think if they disagree or question it. The result: a parade down main street with a naked leader being heralded as “best dressed” of the day.
The ways to prevent this catastrophe are simple, but they are hard.
Leaders must remain humble. I’ve written about this before, but there are a few things that are key. Self-awareness: recognizing your strengths and weaknesses and being open to learning. Listening: actively listening and asking questions with the intention of being changed. Gratefulness: expressing your appreciation for others and what they bring to the team. Self-reflection: routinely assessing your failures and faults and actively making amends. Empathy: practice understanding what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes.
Our cultures must encourage honest feedback. This starts with personal introspection of one’s values and beliefs. Being grounded in our own convictions helps us be less likely to misinterpret silence or conformity as agreement. We must also seek direct communication. Asking questions and actively listening lead to a more accurate representation of others’ views. Sometimes anonymous feedback mechanisms can offer more accurate insights into the actual consensus.
Communities and individuals can be seriously damaged by arrogant leadership and a lack of open communication. Our responsibility as leaders is to remain humble and foster honest feedback to create a culture where the “emperor” doesn’t find himself walking down the road naked. True leadership encourages each member of the community to bring their authentic beliefs and identity to the table, making the team stronger and better equipped to lead the Bison Way.