The vanity trap in leadership: when the manager believes himself to be indispensable
Effective leadership requires abandoning the need for control and recognition in favour of employee autonomy
by Nicola Chighine*
"How I do it/If I don't do it, nobody does it." I have heard these two phrases several times, in different contexts, from managers of different sectors and seniorities. Sometimes pronounced with pride, sometimes with a hint of weariness, more often with unawareness or a tone of confidence. Behind these words can hide one of the most sophisticated and least recognised traps of leadership: vanity.
Mind you, we are not talking about superficial vanity, that linked to image or the need for visibility. We are talking about a more subtle and therefore more dangerous form: the conviction of being indispensable.
Managerial vanity disguises itself as a sense of responsibility, dedication, high standards. It comes with seemingly unassailable arguments: 'I keep the customer because I know him best', 'I review the team's work for safety', 'I attend all meetings because it is important to be there'. All correct. All plausible. And yet, often, all dysfunctional.
Like the limiting beliefs I have written about in the past, this dynamic also acts as an elegant internal saboteur, difficult to unmask because it is perfectly integrated into our value system.
But what happens when a leader falls into this trap? What happens is that the perimeter of his intervention gradually expands, until it saturates space, time and energy. What happens is that the team contracts, becomes accustomed, delegates upwards. What happens is that the organisation loses cognitive redundancy, autonomy, learning capacity. In other words, while the manager feels increasingly central, the system becomes increasingly fragile. Employees become followers and not potential new leaders.
