Though all of us struggle with pride, we often don’t recognize pride in our own lives and leadership.
C. S. Lewis called pride the great sin and the sin we see in others much more easily than we see in ourselves.
Following are ten signs leaders are more prideful than they realize.
I wrote the list directed to the leader, and it is filled with sarcasm.
I have seen them all at some point in my 20 years of leading,
which means, according to Lewis, that tragically they have certainly existed in my own heart and life at times.
1. You don’t think you struggle with pride.
You know others struggle with pride, and you wonder why they do, because in your mind they do not have much to be prideful about.
You do, but you have fought it off better than most have.
2. You feel you are owed.
You have done so very much for the organization that you have put them in debt to you.
They owe you more money, more time, more of a lot of things they are not giving you.
3. You overestimate your contributions.
You secretly, and even not so secretly, pontificate on how much better things are because of your influence and contribution.
4. You underestimate your team’s contributions.
If you overestimate your contribution, you are sure to underestimate the team’s.
You believe that you are the multiplier to all their work, creativity, thinking, and focus.
5. You rarely say “thank you.”
Ingratitude and pride are close friends.
Why would you thank others, after all? They should be thanking you!
6. You think your successor will have it hard following you.
You wonder aloud to others how the whole organization will need to adjust when you leave because no one can fill your shoes.
And if the organization does not adjust, and they put another person in your role, you express how you feel sorry for the pressure he/she will have to endure because of your amazing legacy.
7. You think your predecessor was an idiot.
You love to make snarky remarks about the person before you. It is such good news that you are now here to right all those foolish wrongs.
8. You often compare yourself to others.
It is important to find people whom you outpace in work ethic, intensity, learning, and results.
After all, you need constant benchmarks to be sure you are dominating.
9. You care more about success than sanctification.
Your sanctification can come later, it is time for success now.
10. You can’t learn from people different than you.
People who are different than you should learn from you.
Of course, everyone should. But they don’t have much to offer you because your context and your approach is just so unique.
– Eric Geiger.
April 10, 2017.
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Two trees was planted by the road side. One a mango and the other a big banyan tree.
The mango with greener leaves bore sweet and juicy mangoes which attract many people to rest under it shade and equally enjoy it sweet fruit.
While the contented banyan tree was indeed a home to many squirrels and birds though people do not pay much attention to it because it does not produce the kind of fruit they want.
The mango tree having grown so proud of its appearance, one day, looked down on the banyan tree and said to it, ” Would you pretend to see how important and desirable I am to this community. Everyone eyes me with greedy looks. People like my tasty fruits.
But its so unfortunate that no one asks for you because I remain the best any where i am!”
“Don’t feel so proud friend,” the banyan tree said. “It’s just the law of nature. Every tree has its own place in the nature and I’m not regretting who i am today”.
The next day, after the soldiers parade, they all came under the mango tree and plucked all the fruits of the mango tree.
They picked them so roughly that they broke many branches and leaves too leaving the tree unhealthy.
After they left, the mango tree looked ugly, ashamed and was in pain.
The banyan tree said, “See how pride has eroded you and your beauty, while I am standing here safe and sound.”
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The Oak tree always thought that he was far stronger than the reeds.
He said to himself “I stand upright in a storm. I don’t bend my head in fear every time the wind blows.
But these reeds are really so weak.”
That very night blew a storm and the mighty oak tree was uprooted.
“Good Grief!” sighed the reeds, “our way is better. We bend but we don’t break.”
MORAL : Pride hath a fall
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In a farm there lived many hens and two roosters.
One day the roosters fought for the command of the farm.
After several hours of fighting, one of them was defeated.
The defeated rooster went and hid himself in a corner of the farm house.
The victor flew up to a higher place and started shouting, “I am the winner! I defeated him!”
It was then a fox came through that way.
The fox saw the rooster that is standing out and shouting.
He slowly crept near to the rooster and caught him.
The defeated rooster saw his opponent being taken away by the fox and took charge of the farm himself.
Moral of the story: Don’t let your pride to defeat you.
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It is rightly said that all delays are dangerous in war and hasty climbers quickly catch a fall.
It is an established fact that those who stand persevered and adhere to their objective against the heavy odds turn out to be victorious.
The following story of the hare and the tortoise will suffice to prove the truth of this saying.
It is related that in a certain far-off forest, a haughty hare and a humble tortoise used to live rosy life.
The here was swift in his pace, but the tortoise was slow in his pace.
At times, it so happened when they got together the arrogant hare spared no chance to tease the tortoise for his sluggish nature.
The poor tortoise always listened and kept quiet. One day the tortoise challenged the hare to run a race with him which he accepted.
Both the hare and the tortoise fixed the day for the race between two extremes.
Thus, the race started and in no time the hare was out of sight due to his brisk speed.
As the tortoise was moving at a snail’s pace, so he was left far behind.
On the way the hare thought that the slow-moving tortoise would never reach the winning point in time, he lay down under a cool shady tree and soon he slept.
On the other hand, the tortoise kept walking slowly but steadily.
While the tortoise was on his way, he caught a sight of the hare enjoying a sweet sleep.
The tortoise moved on with the same slow pace but with firm conviction in his success.
The time passed by swiftly but stealthily for the sleepy hare.
At length, the tortoise reached the top of the hill quite amazingly.
When the hare got up from his sweet sleep, he ran to the winning point with great speed.
On reaching the winning point, he was stunned to see to tortoise already there.
All the other animals gathered around the tortoise on the winning point and they congratulated the tortoise for his steady work.
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Sometimes superficial things look beautiful, but often they are deceptive Ultimately the real things come to our help and save us from misfortunes.
The story of a foolish stag is a good reminder to the universal truth that “All That Glitters is Not Gold.”
This story shows a conflict between reality and appearances.
There lived a stag in a jungle. He was very proud of his swiftness and beautiful horns.
Once he went to a stream and saw his reflection in the clear water of this stream.
He was delighted to see his beautiful horns. He was all praise for them. He said to himself, “How beautiful my horns are!
They make me majestic” However, when he saw his legs, he could not be happy any more. He felt that his legs
were thin and ugly. He started cursing his thin and ugly legs.
He said to himself, “Why has God given me such ugly legs? I feel ashamed of myself.”
Just then the stag sensed a hunter in the jungle.
Soon he heard the cries of the hunter’s dogs. Now he realized that the dogs were chasing him.
He started running for life. No one in the jungle could run as fast as this stag. Soon his horns were caught in thick bushes.
He tried his best to get rid of them, but could not.
Now he knew that his thin and ugly legs were a blessing for him and his beautiful horns were a curse for him.
The dogs came nearer and nearer. He became helpless. His beautiful horns could not help him at all.
He was just waiting for his death. Now he realized that his ugly legs were a great blessing.
But alas, his beautiful horns brought his ruin.
Moral Lessons
Slow and steady wins the race.
Don’t make fun of others.
Pride hath a fall.
