Pitfalls for leaders.

Rules of power:rR10

  • Leaders lose touch with reality: The further one gets from the ground, the less information about it one has—with proportionally more responsibility to fixing issues.
  • Everyone lies to leaders: The further away you are, the more likely they are to say what is least likely to get them in trouble.
  • Leaders are overconfident: Cockiness and aggression escalate when present in a culture, often trickling down. Confidence is valuable but overconfidence is distorting.
  • Leaders get credit: This can reinforce ego and diminish the contributions of others.

These pitfalls can be countered!


  1. Jade Rubick, “Everyone Lies to Leaders,” June 1, 2021, https://www.rubick.com/everyone-lies-to-leaders/. (See notes.)