Helping You Lead with Perspective
Expanding on Leadership Challenges: Incompetency, Insecurity, and Self-Deception
Monday 6th January 2025
Core Beginnings
Hierarchy, order, and process form the backbone of any successful organisation.
However, one of the most contentious challenges arises when titles and positions hinder progress. This happens when leadership is marked by incompetency, insecurity, or self-deception, impacting team morale, organisational direction, and culture. Perhaps most critically, this behaviour influences other leaders, fostering an environment where groupthink takes root and innovation is stifled.
In this discussion, I aim to explore these three core challenges in leadership. By examining the roots of incompetency, insecurity, and self-deception, I will outline how leaders can address these issues through self-auditing practices—not by initiating difficult conversations with others, but by beginning with themselves. This journey of self-reflection offers a pathway to personal fulfilment and organisational success.
*Incompetency in Leadership
Incompetency often reveals itself when leaders lack the necessary skills, knowledge, or emotional intelligence to perform effectively. This shortfall can stem from promotions based on tenure or technical expertise rather than leadership ability, a resistance to learning new approaches, or an over-reliance on authority instead of fostering collaboration. These behaviours can hinder both personal growth and team success.
The Peter Principle suggests that individuals in a hierarchy rise to their level of incompetence, highlighting the importance of preparation and ongoing development. Similarly, Emotional Intelligence Theory emphasises that self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy are essential qualities that competent leaders must cultivate.
To address this, leaders can conduct regular self-assessments of their skills, seek feedback, and commit to lifelong learning through education and mentorship. Reflecting on past decisions can also provide insight into areas for improvement and inform future actions.
*Insecurity in Leadership
Insecure leaders often grapple with self-doubt, which may manifest as micromanagement, defensiveness, or even undermining others to mask their perceived inadequacies. These tendencies can erode trust within the team and limit overall effectiveness.
The experience of Impostor Syndrome frequently underpins such insecurity, where individuals feel unworthy of their achievements.
Attachment Theory also suggests that early experiences with trust and validation influence how leaders manage their vulnerabilities.
Building confidence requires deliberate efforts, such as documenting personal achievements to reinforce self-worth and analysing relationships to identify and address patterns of mistrust. Mindfulness practices can further help leaders stay present and alleviate anxiety about perceived shortcomings.
*Self-Deception in Leadership
Self-deception occurs when leaders fail to recognise or acknowledge their flaws, often justifying poor decisions or deflecting accountability. This behaviour can damage team trust, stifle growth, and encourage groupthink, where innovation is sacrificed for conformity.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory explains how leaders rationalise actions that conflict with their self-perception, while insights from the Arbinger Institute’s Leadership and Self-Deception highlight the damaging cycles this can perpetuate.
Breaking free from self-deception involves questioning assumptions and decisions to uncover hidden biases. Seeking honest feedback from trusted colleagues and establishing accountability frameworks can also ensure that actions align with personal and organisational values.
Supporting Leaders Toward Fulfillment
To overcome these challenges, leaders must embrace self-reflection and development.
Coaching and mentorship can provide valuable perspectives, while fostering a culture of transparent feedback ensures open communication and continuous improvement. Aligning personal growth goals with organisational objectives helps leaders stay focused on meaningful development.
By engaging in self-auditing and embracing vulnerability, leaders can transform incompetency, insecurity, and self-deception into opportunities for growth, creating a healthier culture and achieving sustainable success.