One of the earliest lines I learnt as a boy, drilled into me by my late mother, was "Pride goes before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). A companion saying drawn from Greek mythology, but with a slightly different edge, is "Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad."

Hubris, perhaps, represents the greatest danger to effective leadership. For, a leader who is arrogant and overly ambitious is preoccupied with advancing personal interests and expanding and exercising power for self. The lessons to be learnt from the avoidance of hubris and its noble alternative, humility, hold much for the discerning preacher, politician, policeman, parent, and all others. While every conscious person must be mindful of the need for humility and graciousness in his or her dealings with others, there is a peculiar lesson for leaders.

Excessive pride

Hubris is excessive pride or arrogance, or excessive ambition, the type which usually leads to the downfall of a hero in classical tragedy. History is full of stories about ambitious lieutenants and leaders who were either greedy for, or drunk with power, and as a result, wrecked themselves because of an ego that had grown too large.

Recent literature on hubris in politics has focused on the leadership style and hegemonic ambitions of several presidents of the United States. There is a theme emerging from sections of the literature that suggests that the defining character of the legacy of many US presidents has been the degree of hubris. Beginning with Nixon and his loyalist, Henry Kissinger, through to George W. Bush (2000-2008) and his chief adviser, Karl Rove, many American presidents are deemed to have shown that their understanding of power is the unbridled exercise of executive authority.

I share the view that many of these pre-sidents have displayed a degree of arrogance that has contributed to the safety and security challenges facing the world. I recall George W. Bush, speaking in 2003 on the plan to invade Iraq, asserting, with God-like authority that, "America will enter and take control of Iraq at a time of America's choosing!" Beyond the arrogance shown in the design of that war, there was a saying going the rounds in America's political circles that the Republican Party thought it was going to be in power for the next 100 years.

There was alleged to be a committee headed by former Vice President Cheney named the NAC - New American Century. Among the purported terms of the NAC was that of the decimation of the Democratic Party and control of Middle East oil in order to ensure that America and the Republican Party controlled the world for the next 100 years.

But hubris in leadership is not a Republican or American disease only; it afflicts many local leaders (and leaders elsewhere in the world).

The fall that befalls leaders who become drunk with hubris is a lesson for the discerning individual. The transcripts of the recent commission of inquiry into governance in The Turks and Caicos Islands tell a story of a premier who seemed to have believed he was accountable only to himself. His fall from power has been sharp and the narrative of his destiny has not yet been fully told as the official report and recommendations of the commissioner are due any time now.

There is a local former CEO who is fighting to keep the trappings of high office after demitting office last year under what appears to be painful circumstances. I make no judgment of the facts of the case between the man and his former employers; but I recall the sense of queasiness I felt when he announced, at a function to honour retirees of his (former) bank in 2007, that he would be retiring in 2014.

It was not so much the fact of indicating that his departure from the bank was at a date in the future, that I found nauseating; it was the sense of surety and fait accompli with which he spoke. It was not unlike George W. Bush's assertion mentioned earlier.

The said CEO pulled his organisation's membership in a group because he had lost the race for president of that group.

The commission of inquiry into the failure of the financial sector in Jamaica in the 1990s has begun. I read with interest the terms of reference of the commission and could not help feeling a sense of fear that the danger of hubris looms. It is my prayer that the commissioners will be infused with grace and humility that match their unquestionable erudition and competence!

Present danger

Hubris is a clear and present danger that lurks in the shadows of almost every leadership situation, and the life of every person. Hubris is to be feared not only for the impact that it could have on the life situation of the individual who becomes diseased by it, but for the harm that can be done to those who are affected by the actions of the hubris-diseased person.

Every conscientious person must be mindful of the dangers of hubris and should guard word and deed and thought with such care that it is kept at bay - for pride goes before a fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction.

Dr Canute Thompson is vice-president of the International University of the Caribbean and author of 'Towards Solutions' Fundamentals of Transformational Leadership in a Postmodern Era'. He may be reached at canute_thompson@hotmail.com .