Is it better for a leader to be prone to feeling guilt? Maybe a leader should be above this type of feeling and make decisions based on the positive outcome to the business and ignore the personal ramifications to employees. Does empathy make you a more effective leader?
In a study by Schaumberg and Flynn (2012), they looked into how guilt proneness affects leadership across 3 studies. The first study assessed guilt-prone behaviors as more telling of leadership potential than less guilt-prone behaviors. The second study showed that guilt-prone members in a leaderless group task engaged in more leadership behaviors than did less guilt-prone participants. In the final study, feedback from a group of managers among varying industries was analyzed.
Most people associate guilt with being a negative personality aspect, but it could actually be considered something positive in relation to leadership. Having a predisposition to guilt can mean that an individual has a strong sense of responsibility to others which in turn provides a basis for followers to respect their leader because they feel he cares about them. While emotions like embarrassment can cause individuals to clam up and avoid situations, guilt can propel an individual to take charge and guide a group in working towards their goal. Guilt can prompt individuals to take a leadership position in groups because they worry about not doing their share, they feel the need to fulfill obligations to others or to achieve an objective (Schaumberg, 2012).
Before coming across this article, I never really considered guilt as something that could improve leadership. However, once I read the article, it actually makes perfect sense. The idea of guilt has always brought up negative connotations, but when looked at in the right light, it is just as easy to see guilt as something positive regarding personality.
Schaumberg, R. L., & Flynn, F. J. (2012). Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown: The link between guilt proneness and leadership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(2), 327-342.
CHAD STUART CLELLAND says
Thank you fr sharing this. I have never though of guilt in his way. You are right, guilt does tend to be a negative emotion but if harnessed in he rigt wa it can be a great motivater. Did the article say anything about te negativity that too much guilt can have on leadership? I would imagine that there is a proverbial “sweet spot” in respect to how much guilt one feels to how well one leads. Too muc guilt ca be dabilitatin and too little ca cause one to hve no compassion for othrs.
Thank you fo this.