Managing Arrogant People

Arrogant people behave in a way that suggests they are superior to those around them. Arrogance can take many forms, such as an inflated sense of self-importance, a belief that they are better than others, impatience with less knowledgeable team members, an unwillingness to listen, or disdain for different points of view.

Arrogant team members are less likely to accept feedback or direction than others, they may ignore advice or guidance, and they can blindly pursue misguided courses of action due to their overwhelming belief in themselves and their abilities.

Russell E. Johnson, associate professor of management at Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, explains that managing arrogant people can be particularly tough, because they may not be aware of how they come across, or understand that their behavior is "wrong." However, he also argues that arrogance can be a way to mask low confidence, despite exaggerated appearances otherwise, and that arrogant people may also lack social skills, or simply be impatient with those around them. [1]

Effects of Arrogance

Arrogance can be extremely damaging in the workplace. For example, it can:

• Lower morale and team performance. An arrogant team member's attitude and behavior towards others can impact morale and camaraderie, despite their own effective performance.
• Hinder effective communication. People may be less inclined to involve an arrogant colleague in meetings or discussions, and might actively seek to exclude them. This can affect team communication, and reduce productivity.
• Lead to poor decision making. If one person is left out of communications, or an arrogant team member decides that a decision is "wrong," this can harm the decision-making process.
• Make team interactions more difficult. People may feel uncomfortable or resentful around an arrogant team member, which can create a strained or stressful working environment.
• Put your leadership under pressure. When a team member questions your decisions and instructions, directly or indirectly, it can undermine your authority.
• Impact on the wider organizational and customer/client relationships. When relationships between your people are strained, this can affect the team's wider reputation within the organization. Unhappy or unmotivated people may also struggle to keep customers satisfied and engaged.

Arrogance or Self-Confidence?

Arrogance within a team is intrinsically negative, but a person with high confidence and self-belief is often a positive influence. For example, they are likely to be intelligent, competent, creative, and driven, and their belief in their abilities may mean that they don't "suffer fools gladly," but it likely also means that they are able to perform at an exceptionally high level.

They will likely have a strong belief in their skills and abilities, which means that they can pick themselves up after knock-backs, failures or mistakes. These traits can also help them perform better under pressure, or in a highly competitive environment.

So, think carefully about your team member's attitude and performance. Are they arrogant, or simply self-confident? (Arrogance implies misplaced self-confidence.)

Managing Arrogance

As a manager, it's important to be aware of how arrogance can affect a team, and to take quick and decisive action to deal with it. However, you should also recognize that an arrogant person may also have qualities that you should nurture.

Follow the seven steps below to manage your arrogant team members effectively.

1. Gather Evidence

You and your team members may be fully aware of an arrogant colleague's actions, but you should also gather hard evidence about them. Record when they try to interrupt or hijack meetings, when they ignore instructions, when they treat a colleague poorly, and so on.

This will help you to gage the seriousness of the problem, and its likely effect on your people; and it will help you be specific with any feedback you give. Think carefully before you speak to other team members about the arrogant behavior – it might be better just to observe it at this early stage.

2. Consider Their Performance

Before you take any further action, consider the wider impact, effect and influence of their behavior, both on the team and externally. Are they a "star" performer, a recognized industry authority, or an expert in their field? Or is their behavior masking an underlying performance weakness?

3. Communicate

You have to let your arrogant team member know what is and isn't acceptable behavior. Bear in mind that they may not realize how their actions affect others, and they might be horrified to find out.

Schedule a private, face-to-face meeting to discuss the situation, and focus on the evidence you have gathered about their behavior and attitude. Explain why this is unacceptable to you, to the organization, and to the wider team, and emphasize the importance of humility and Level 5 Leadership. It's often not necessary to escalate the issue at this stage unless someone has made a formal complaint. However, you should make it clear that you are not prepared to tolerate this behavior.

While it's important to confront them, be careful not to come across as aggressive or confrontational when you give feedback. There may be issues that you aren't aware of, such as family problems, stress or illness, that cause them to behave in this way.

4. Support Her

Consider why your arrogant team member behaves in this way. Do they feel frustrated, overlooked or unchallenged at work? Do they want more responsibility? Perhaps they suffer from impostor syndrome and are terrified of being "found out"? What do they want from the organization? Is something missing for them?

Think about how you can provide support to address these issues, while making it clear that you're not rewarding their poor behavior!

5. Accept That Change Takes Time

Your arrogant team member may have accepted that they need to change, but it's important to realize that this won't happen overnight. They may revert to their old behavior occasionally, and it will take time to re-establish fractured relationships with other team members.

So, listen actively to what your team members are saying, show that you're taking the issue seriously, and be prepared to take further action if necessary. You need to be clear that you won't tolerate arrogant behavior.

6. Consider Using Coaching

Coaching can be very effective for encouraging arrogant team members to understand other people's abilities and needs. It allows you to develop an open and ongoing dialog, which can help to build trust, and to tackle negative behaviors when they arise.

Ongoing coaching allows you to focus on their positive behaviors, not just the negative ones, and to recognize their strengths, value and contribution to the team. And, you can explain how everyone will benefit from their changing their behavior.

Use coaching to develop their self-awareness, so that they have a better, more objective sense of how they behave towards others and how this affects them. And use coaching with feedback to help them feel more engaged and part of the team. This can be particularly helpful because it allows you to raise specific negative behaviors that you have observed.

7. Take Further Action

If your arrogant team member's behavior continues, and morale and performance issues remain a problem, you should address this from a disciplinary point of view, particularly if they are undermining your authority as a manager. Talk to your HR department before you take any action, and follow the guidance you receive carefully.