Confusing Assertive, Over Confidence Or Arrogance At Work

Have you ever been accused of being arrogant? or Over Confident? How did you feel about it? Did you feel that you were just being assertive in your position? Its a common problem and if not dealt with can lead to problems in your managerial career, ones that will eventually cause your advancement to be limited.

Good leadership is all about the ability to lead people in a particular direction, in pursuit of a particular objective, within a particular time frame An assertive person will have a very clear vision of where he wants to go, he will also understand the team he is leading and he will tailor his communication and leadership around the needs of his team.

His communication will be inclusive but focused and clear. They will involve their team but will guide the discussion to prevent the objectives being sidetracked.

The overconfident leader will sweep everyone along in a haze of enthusiasm and this will work well while everything is going right. Once they hit a bump, they will lost their team because they have been more focused on themselves than on the whole team they are responsible for leading.

The arrogant leader will issue the orders with no opportunity for discussion. Their belief in their own superiority or their unwillingness to show any weakness because of their own insecurity will prevent them from listening or engaging in any conversation. This situation is further exacerbated when something goes wrong.

The arrogant leader will rarely accept any responsibility for any wrong decision, they will blame their inferiors or make other excuses. And this can be very disconcerting and disheartening for team members.

In most cases, it is mis-communication, what is said vs what is heard, how something is said vs how that same thing is interpreted.

Dealing with an arrogant leader, at whatever level in the organisation can be very challenging. There is always the option of going to management if that option exists. If you are being forced to deal with it on your own, its important to realise that the arrogance can be a mask for insecurity, or lack of knowledge or lack of ability.

It can stem from the person being in a position of authority without having eared the right so they cover their lack of experience with arrogance rather than learning how to be the person they need to be.

It can also stem from the title or profession assumed by that person and they may be using this title for more than it was intended. This is often evident in professional services businesses or businesses where the principal has achieved a higher level of educational qualification without receiving the same level of people and business management skills required.

If you are faced with any of these situations take the first step and call me…