Twin Mistakes for Leaders: Thinking You’re Unique and Thinking You’re Typical
You're probably neither as unique as you think you are, nor do your views represent those of others as much as you may think. What are the implications of these twin realities for leaders in libraries?
We’ve all seen leaders brought low by hubris. One problem is that we’re all susceptible to it; another is that it can manifest itself in so many different ways. For one leader, it’s the mistaken belief that being in charge of the library means that she’s the best librarian in the organization, or that by virtue of her position she necessarily understands everyone else’s job. For another, it might manifest as a belief that he’s always right, or that being the director makes him the smartest person in the library.
Leaders who suffer from that kind of hubris tend not to succeed in the long run. They may rise quickly (especially if they really are very smart and are skilled politicians), but eventually they will end up offending too many people, burning too many bridges, and making too many myopic mistakes, and their hubris will catch up with them. Then they find themselves dismissed or pushed out of their positions – at which point, all too often, they will blame everyone but themselves.
Hubris can also manifest itself much more subtly, though, and although the twin examples I’m going to talk about today tend not to be as destructive as others, they can still cause you a lot of trouble if you aren’t self-aware about them.
The twin hubristic mistakes I’m referring to are believing you’re unique and believing you’re typical. Let’s unpack those for a minute, and then consider their implications for library leadership.