A disorder affecting those in positions of power, hubris syndrome finds its roots in Ancient Greece. It can be found in philosophy as well as in theatre.

Among its feats of arms, in the “Iliad,” hubris takes over Achilles. Overcome by his own power and blinding anger, the Greek hero is punished by the gods and finally struck down.

From heads of state…

David Owen, a physician and former UK foreign minister, defines this concept in his book “The Hubris Syndrome: Bush, Blair and the Intoxication of Power.”

This British doctor presents the disorder, which appears to have affected certain heads of state. In total, he lists 14 symptoms that can be used to diagnose hubris syndrome.

These include, for example, narcissism, impulsiveness, a great self-confidence or the desire to mark History. Just three of these symptoms could be enough to be a sign of the syndrome, the specialist says.

The hubris syndrome, which is associated with an excessive sense of confidence or arrogance, can affect all people in positions of power, from heads of state to the professional world.

… to professional life

This “power intoxication” can also be found in companies, as Isabelle Barth, professor of management science at the University of Strasbourg, France, explains.

“These are people who lose touch with reality, who overestimate their abilities, who have an inordinate amount of confidence in themselves and who think they have control over everything around them.

Among co-workers, this can lead to cases of harassment at work or burn-out.”

This feeling can be exacerbated by the kind of “fawning entourage” that can form around leaders, even in companies.

“It is rare to find people who stand up against the decisions of a leader, because fear is human,” analyses Isabelle Barth, “you cannot develop hubris if the people around you do not bow down.”

Fortunately, it is possible to spot and act on this kind of power trip before it’s too late.

“The people likely to develop hubris syndrome need to show off, they feel they can act without the approval of the hierarchy and try to get into power,” analyses the researcher in management sciences.

These people can be seen as a leader, a person that you may want to follow.

Moreover, it is possible to put in place counter-powers to avoid this level of excess.

“At the time of royalty, there were the king’s jesters,” explains the specialist, “they were highly intelligent people, responsible for very subtly saying things to the king.”

To limit the emergence of this disorder in companies, maintaining the plurality of opinions is therefore one possibility.

For their part, the leader probably listens to their teams, or at least to a person of trust.