History has a strange way of repeating itself, especially when it comes to incompetent leadership.
You’ll often find political leaders who make consistently poor decisions, not just out of ignorance but out of fear — fear of being overshadowed, challenged, or exposed as unfit. But what lies beneath this fear is something deeper: a psychological blindness to their own incompetence.
In leadership psychology, this can resemble anosognosia, a term originally used for patients unaware of their own illness, but now used metaphorically to describe leaders who are incapable of recognizing their own leadership failures.
These leaders aren't just mistaken, they’re psychologically unequipped to even see their mistakes. They lack insight and surround themselves with flatterers. They silence competence, reward blind loyalty, and punish those who speak the truth. This isn't just insecurity, it's the Dunning-Kruger Effect in action: the less they know, the more confident they appear.
They don’t lead with vision, they govern with paranoia. Leadership becomes a personal survival game. Integrity becomes betrayal. Loyalty is reduced to submission.
As a result, ordinary people suffer. Policies crumble. Institutions decay. Progress halts.
From emperors who feared their scholars to modern-day leaders who discredit experts, the pattern is chillingly familiar. This isn’t just bad governance, it’s sabotage dressed as leadership, powered by psychological dysfunction.
We deserve better — leaders with courage and clarity, not those who weaponize fear to cover up their failures. Our future depends on competent leadership that lifts others up, not one that drags everyone down to preserve a fragile ego.
