“Always fly in the middle of the air, and follow my advice carefully, because if you fly too low, the seawater will weigh down your wings, and if you fly too high, the sun will burn them. Stay between these two limits, and follow me.” Do you remember the origin of this advice? It comes from the legend of Icarus, an emblematic figure in Greek mythology, known for having his wings burned because he flew too close to the sun. While trapped in a labyrinth with his father Daedalus, they made wings using feathers fallen on the ground. To attach them to themselves, they used wax, thus allowing them to gain altitude and escape the labyrinth. Before and during the flight, Daedalus repeatedly warned his son Icarus not to get so close to that star. But dazzled by the beauty of the landscape and wanting to fly higher and higher, Icarus could not withstand the heat of that star. His wings gradually melted, leading to his fall into the sea, now called the Icarian Sea. This example is a perfect illustration of hubris syndrome. Driven by his desire for freedom, altitude, and his wish to be the equal of birds, Icarus did not heed his father’s warnings and lost touch with reality. The symptoms caused by hubris syndrome are found in many situations and mainly concern people with a significant thirst for power. The effects on them and those around them are harmful. It is therefore necessary to recognize people suffering from this syndrome, to prevent its onset, and above all to guard against it in order to act in time.

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Hubris syndrome, or the art of feeling all-powerful

Hubris, which could be considered a pathology, was identified several millennia ago in the time of Ancient Greece. It was recognized to describe individuals displaying pride and excess. Possessing it was then seen as a crime that had to be punished. In Greek mythology, those who displayed hubris received a celestial punishment imposed by Nemesis, goddess of vengeance.

This syndrome is characterized by a feeling of omnipotence, unparalleled excess, a desire to get closer to power, an overestimation of one’s actual skills, and a failure to take into account the consequences of one’s actions and decisions. In fact, hubris reveals narcissistic behavior, hyperactivity, and an obsession with one’s image and appearance. It proves harmful both for the person who has it and for those around them. Indeed, it is dangerous for the person subject to it because they hold a distorted view of themselves and lose touch with reality. For people around them, it can create discomfort, low self-esteem, a sense of inferiority, and reluctance to express their opinions. You may have encountered people with this hubris syndrome. Recall how you felt. It is very possible that you disliked this type of situation and inwardly wanted to distance yourself from these people, ready to do anything to maintain their “power” status or increase it even more.

The thirst for power is one of the components of individuals prone to hubris. Recently, David Owen, former British Foreign Secretary, gathered his research and reflections to highlight the link between power and hubris in his 2007 book "The Hubris Syndrome: Bush, Blair and the Intoxication of Power." D. Owen explains the specificity of this syndrome: it seems to mainly concern people who hold positions of power. It can be found among executives, leaders, male and female politicians, wealthy public figures, and those possessing a rare asset (e.g., exceptional beauty, extraordinary intelligence, niche expertise, surprising physical ability, etc.).

Are there qualities in people affected by hubris?

Is it always negative to be affected by hubris? Might this flaw not conceal advantages? If we rely on Ofman’s quadrant, we observe that a strength hides behind every weakness (and vice versa). This tool, theorized in 1992, invites us to reflect on ourselves and identify 4 elements: our strengths, our weaknesses, our qualities to develop, and the attitudes we cannot stand. Applying this quadrant means determining:

• our core qualities: those we naturally possess

• our pitfalls: the excess of our core qualities, what we tend toward when we are faced with people who display our allergies,

• our challenges: the resource qualities we should develop to avoid falling into pitfalls,

• our allergies: generally the negative opposites of our core qualities; this is most often what we cannot stand in others.

Hubris seems to correspond to the “pitfall” part of Ofman’s quadrant. Thus, when one of our loved ones or we ourselves are affected by this syndrome, we should be able to associate it with a core quality, a challenge, and an allergy. What might our core quality be, if pride is part of our pitfalls? Pride itself, potentially. In moderation, it remains a particularly sought-after quality to gain self-esteem, inspire others, and convey positive energy. But pushed to the extreme, it can lead to the development of hubris. If we now had to determine a challenge and an allergy from the pitfall that is pride, we could consider humility as one of our challenges and individuals who do not let their emotions show as part of our allergies.

Ways to remedy Hubris syndrome in the workplace?

Once we are able to recognize hubris syndrome in ourselves or in people around us, action is needed to avoid potential harmful consequences. In the professional sphere, people prone to hubris can cause damage (e.g., stress, fear of speaking up, depression, burnout, resignation…). So it is best to act before the storm begins. Here are some good practices:

Recruit candidates aligned with the company’s values

This step is key, because this is when selection takes place. Obviously, we seek to recruit only people who meet the skills listed in the job description. In addition to know-how, interpersonal skills are just as important to assess in candidates. Conversations with them are a way to gauge their personality. Do their answers and attitudes present risks of pride? A candidate asks no questions about the company and only talks about their background? That is a weak signal. A candidate wants to have the last word and seems to dislike contradiction? That is a weak signal. A candidate regularly interrupts you? This is a weak signal. A candidate seems to look down on certain roles? That is a weak signal.

Encourage diversity

Another way to protect against hubris is to encourage diversity across all departments of the company, and especially within management, which is responsible for final decisions. Thanks to a team made up of different professions, senior and junior employees, people from different social backgrounds, and a roughly equivalent male/female ratio, decision-making will be more balanced and creative ideas more abundant. It is therefore important to regularly foster collaborative work so everyone can meet, learn from others, develop ideas they would not have had alone, and grow from the experience.

Prioritize horizontal models

Are all members of the company included in your company’s decisions? What if you found ways to involve as many people as possible in decision-making? Beyond including more people in decision-making processes, you could also share company information such as roadblocks encountered, progress made, and new projects you have in mind. You could therefore organize more informal exchanges, share an internal newsletter with key information, invite employees to share their feelings and recommendations through questionnaires, open strategic meetings to employees who had not yet been invited, etc. This transparency will show teams that their company trusts them, which will stimulate them in their missions and increase their involvement.

Create a sense of belonging

People prone to hubris feel they know how to do things better than others. Ultimately, they feel superior to others. They set themselves apart because, for them, this is the best way to move faster. The risk is that silos form and they isolate themselves from the rest of the group. It is therefore important to remind all employees of the same company how essential they are to the team and that everyone contributes to the company’s success. They are part of the same chain, they work for the same cause, and there is no reason for them to feel in competition. This is the point to emphasize so that a sense of belonging develops and is constantly nurtured. For this to work sustainably, it must be felt from the moment a newcomer arrives in the company: through sharing the company’s habits and values, organizing informal moments (breakfasts, introductory lunches…), and providing support…

And even after their first days/weeks, an employee must still always feel they belong to their company, otherwise they risk distancing themselves from others, isolating themselves, and possibly developing this hubris syndrome. So it is important to keep them informed of company news, invite them into decision-making, include them in group activities (seminars, team building, sports sessions, team lunches…), encourage collective work, support them in ongoing projects, value their initiatives, congratulate them when they have carried out a valuable action (a “thank you” will always be welcomed), listen to them (truly), reward their commitment, offer training to help them build skills, and provide career progression opportunities. In short, it is about giving meaning every day to all employees.

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Initially identified by the Ancient Greeks, being subject to hubris meant being responsible for a crime and receiving a celestial punishment. Hubris, whose components are pride, excess, and overestimation of one’s abilities, blinds the person who holds it. Most often, it is recognized because the person has an advantage over others (from a hierarchical, intellectual, physical, demographic point of view, etc.). In the example of Icarus’s fall, he had the advantage of flying, of being physically above others, of being the human who had come closest to the sun. Their view of the world, removed from reality, makes anyone subject to hubris a danger to themselves, but also to others, who may feel inferior, anxious, and sometimes afraid to speak up. Yet hubris hides a core quality: pride. When not pushed to the extreme, it brings many advantages to the person who holds it, since they have good self-esteem and may even inspire others in their development. But when excessive, this quality and its benefits fade. For individuals subject to hubris, their challenge (if we rely on Offman’s Quadrant theory), in other words the resource quality they should develop in order to harm neither themselves nor others, is humility.

In business, this symptom can cause damage. It is therefore necessary to identify it as quickly as possible in candidates so as to recruit only those whose personality and values match the company culture. Direct exchanges with candidates will make it possible to detect weak signals and end the recruitment process with some of them. Other actions will help prevent the development of this feared symptom. Teams composed of employees with diverse profiles will foster the emergence of innovative ideas. Transparency within the company will also be crucial. This can be achieved by sharing information about the company (what the current news is, upcoming projects, obstacles encountered), organizing collective moments, and including more employees in strategic moments. Why should only members of the Codir or Comex give their opinion? Wouldn’t the opinion of other employees also be relevant? Another way to avoid the development of hubris among teams: do everything so that a sense of belonging is created from the onboarding of newcomers, and maintained throughout their commitment within the company.

If despite these efforts, you observe employees showing this symptom, try talking to the person concerned and making them aware that they risk burning their wings at this pace. But if the blindness is very strong and the person remains in a phase of denial, protect the people in their professional circle and make sure to give them the place they deserve.