Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. (1 Peter 5: 5)
The opposite of humility is pride. We commonly think of pride only as arrogance or haughtiness. But the essence of pride is self-concern. And self-concern can manifest itself either offensively (as arrogance) or defensively (as fear).
Below are two lists that show some characteristics of arrogant pride and fearful pride. Mark the characteristics you see reflected in your own leadership style. Then invite feedback from your spouse (if applicable) or a trusted friend, and someone who has been under your leadership (if possible). (Note: This isn’t an either/or exercise. Most leaders will display some tendencies of both.)
Characteristics of Arrogant Pride
- Shuns genuine, peer accountability
- Tries to be in control
- Sees all issues as black and white; views people as either for or against him or her
- Threatened by people with legitimate differences; doesn’t allow disagreement or critique
- Insensitive; doesn’t take people’s feelings into account as he or she leads
- Closed-minded; unaccepting of new ideas
- Sees other gifted, competent people as competition rather than partners
- Hypercritical of others
- Lacks self-awareness; unable to see his or her own sins, errors, and faults
- Cannot delegate genuine authority or significant positions to others
- Longs to be respected by everyone
Characteristics of Fearful Pride
- Unwilling to act unless he or she gains consensus from followers first
- Hesitant to take charge
- Sees all issues as shades of gray; reluctant to fight for anything
- Paralyzed by people with legitimate differences; always responding to disagreement or critique
- Overly sensitive; unwilling to hurt anyone’s feelings
- Soft-minded; so welcoming of new ideas that error and heresy are tolerated
- Sees other gifted, competent people as threats
- Never critical of others—even when he or she should be
- Lacks self-confidence; paralyzed by awareness of his or her own sins, errors, and faults
- Wants everybody to have a voice in every decision
- Longs to be liked by everyone
After receiving feedback from others, look back at the characteristics you’ve identified and consider how the gospel applies to them.
