Some leaders are born with personality traits that are advantageous for them and their leadership ability. Possessing the major leadership personality traits of intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity and sociability help individuals to be perceived as great leaders (Northouse, 2016). Just as there are advantageous personality traits, there are also personality traits that can be detrimental for leaders. Leaders can find themselves exhibiting dark side personality traits. These personality traits are counterproductive behavioral tendencies that are harmful for individuals with regards to their leadership ability. Being too argumentative, interpersonal insensitivity, narcissism, the fear of failure, perfectionism, and impulsivity are all included as dark side personality traits (PSU, 2018). In my opinion, the most disadvantageous dark side personality trait is the fear of failure.
The fear of failure is a hindrance for leaders. Leaders who have a fear of failure will oftentimes sell themselves short due to being afraid of the potential criticism they may receive for their actions (PSU, 2018). The fear of failure can cause leaders to be overly cautious in their decision making and that fear of failing can lead some leaders to not act at all. By not acting at all, this is where it hurts leaders. Ryan Holiday (2014) from Psychology Today states, “Action and failure are two sides of the same coin. One doesn’t come without the other. What breaks this critical connection down is when people stop acting-because they’ve taken failure the wrong way”. Instead of focusing on the negative connotation of failure, it is important for leaders to see failure in a different and positive way.
In all reality, some degree of failure is beneficial for leaders within their leadership development. Failure fosters growth and provides leaders with an opportunity to reflect and learn from their mistakes. Thomas Edison said it best in one of his famous quotes, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” When leaders view failure from this perspective and have a positive outlook towards it, they allow themselves to turn it into a success. There are numerous success stories of highly successful individuals who failed early and did not let that failure stop them. Oprah Winfrey was fired for being “too emotionally invested in her stories” but then became a household name as one of the biggest talk show hosts (Feloni, 2015). Walt Disney was told he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas” early in his career but he rebounded and went on to create an empire entertaining both children and adults (Feloni, 2015). These are just two examples of many where individuals persisted through failure and became a success.
There is a power in failure. In order to be effective leaders, it is vital for leaders to embrace the idea of possibly failing at something and learning from that failure. Attached is a motivational video from famous actor Will Smith who speaks on the importance of failure. I close by reiterating his quote that has resonated with me. “Fail Early. Fail Often. Fail Forward”.
References:
Feloni, R. S. (2015, July 09). 29 famous people who failed before they succeeded. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-who-failed-at-first-2015-7
Holiday, R. (2014, May 12). Why You Should Embrace Failure. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-obstacle-is-the-way/201405/why-you-should-embrace-failure
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles, Calif.: SAGE
Pennsylvania State University. (2018). Trait approach. The Dark Side of Personality. PSYCH 485. Retrieved May 20, 2018 from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1940315/modules/items/24597430
Smith, W. Will Smith – On Failure. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFf6rhcYkXw