Leaders Flaws

Introduction
Leaders are more likely to know their strengths than their flaws or weaknesses.

One study identified
"...30% of leaders......have at least one fatal flaw. These weaknesses are so extreme that they can have a dramatic impact on the leader and seriously hampering their contribution to the organisation and their career progress..."
Jack Zenger at al, 2018

Despite people around them recognising the fatal flaw, many of the leaders cannot as most fatal flaws are usually 'sins of omission', ie the leader not doing something eg don't listen, don't communicate, not taking responsibility for outcomes, building poor relationships, etc.
Sometimes the fatal flaws are obvious, eg terrible temper, pathological liar, etc

Everybody has weaknesses; with the mild ones generally not impactinga person's overall effectiveness.
A fatal flaw can be strong enough to counter all your strengths.
Generally strengths are more visible like effective problem-solving, good at collaboration, etc

How to learn to identify your weaknesses, ie increase your self-awareness

i) find a 'truth teller' (get someone who will provide honest feedback and who you trust, like a mentor, coach, counselor, therapist, etc
"...this person may be able to help you gain a better understanding of your weaknesses and find ways to remedy them..."
Jack Zenger at al, 2018)

ii) conduct 360° feedback
(for more details, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)
Some danger areas for leaders, ie having
- ego (a sense of inflated self-esteem and self-important)
- hubris (excessive pride and self-confidence)
"...one of the greatest dangers in leadership is ego and hubris......there is a much stronger correlation with superior shareholder returns and those leaders who have a sense of humility and self-awareness..."
Rob Scott as quoted by Carrie LaFrenz, 2023
- humility (the quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance)
- self-awareness (conscious understanding of one's own character and feelings)