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3. To What Extent Can a Leader Make Independent Decisions?

How can we lay claim to freedom of choice when the unconscious shapes our decisions? Leaders, driven by psychic forces beyond their grasp, navigate between the illusion of control and the reality of their limitations. Humility thus becomes the gateway to a more authentic freedom.

Far from being purely rational actors, leaders—like all human beings—are constantly influenced by unconscious forces that shape their choices, distort their perceptions, and foster illusions of control. The freedom each person believes they possess is, in truth, far more constrained than it appears. Every individual constructs their own subjective representation of the world, shaped by their personal history, past experiences, beliefs, and values.

The unconscious wields a dominant influence over our psyche, shaping the majority of our behaviors, choices, and decisions. It is well established that our unconscious drives, rooted in the id, fundamentally dictate our actions. The ego is continually pulled between these primal forces and the demands of the superego, creating a constant tension that underpins every decision-making process. This psychic dynamic operates beneath the surface of apparent rationality. Indeed, every leader perceives and interprets their environment through a psychic reality shaped far more by language and the unconscious than by any supposed objective perception. This mediation profoundly alters the perception of situations through a complex web of emotions, fantasies, and unconscious representations residing within the leader’s psyche. Thus, even a seemingly straightforward situation can be reframed as an existential threat under the sway of fantasies that deeply distort the perception of self and others.

Winnicott's concept of the false self uncovers a critical truth about leadership: leaders develop a social façade that allows them to navigate external demands but inevitably severs them from their deeper sense of authenticity. This psychic disconnection significantly compromises their freedom of decision, confining them to behaviors shaped by unconscious forces and internalized external pressures.

Unconscious repetition patterns illustrate how unresolved childhood conflicts systematically infiltrate the professional sphere. A leader may unconsciously project an Oedipal, fraternal, or sibling rivalry onto a colleague, thereby recreating primitive conflicts that shape organizational power dynamics. These unconscious frameworks inexorably influence strategic decisions and professional relationships.

Rationalization is another defense mechanism that emerges as a key process in leaders. This psychological mechanism transforms decisions driven by unconscious impulses and anxieties into choices that appear rational. For example, when a leader cites a lack of information to justify a decision, they often mask a deep-seated fear of confronting an uncomfortable reality. While this defense momentarily protects the ego, it hinders a genuine understanding of the underlying issues.

Thus, personal subjectivity acts as an inescapable filter of all reality, naturally extending to the professional realm. Every leader inevitably interprets their environment through a psychic lens shaped by their personal history. This unconscious framework profoundly alters the perception of situations, to the extent that an ordinary competitor can be perceived as an existential threat under the influence of unresolved primitive anxieties. Objective reality is thus consistently reconfigured by the psychic forces that inhabit the leader.

Leaders are often perceived as being overwhelmed by an illusion of omnipotence, which is heightened by their dominant position. Their excessive narcissism fosters a fantasy of absolute control that conceals their core vulnerabilities. It makes the acceptance of any form of criticism intolerable, as the leader’s narcissism is often an attempt to compensate for a deep-seated sense of inferiority. This dynamic is dangerously amplified by the isolation inherent in their role. Surrounded by subordinates who constantly validate their views, they become ensnared in a delusional bubble, cut off from any confrontation with reality. This narcissistic spiral undermines any genuine opportunity for self-examination.

Cognitive biases also play a significant role as major determinants of managerial behavior, with confirmation bias driving leaders to select information that reinforces their pre-existing beliefs. These psychological mechanisms create the illusion of rational decision-making, even though the decisions are directly shaped by deeply rooted unconscious dynamics.

Another recurring mechanism that plays a central role in this dynamic is denial. By refusing to confront a reality perceived as threatening, the psyche protects itself from immediate discomfort, but this protection comes at the high cost of disconnecting from reality. Another key mechanism is projection, which leads the leader to project their own repressed anxieties and desires onto others, profoundly distorting their perception of professional relationships. This is mirrored in employees as well, within a dynamic of emotional transfer, where they may relive past emotional experiences in their relationship with the leader. These unconscious defenses significantly limit the leader's ability to objectively understand situations and exercise informed leadership.

Confronted with this psychological complexity, the path to authentic freedom is outlined through the teachings of Michel de Montaigne. His philosophy does not advocate for mere surface-level modesty, but calls for a lucid and courageous acknowledgment of our fundamental limitations. He presents an "ethic of modesty" that can be particularly enriching for contemporary leadership: it requires the leader to relinquish illusions of omnipotence and adopt a stance of critical openness and ongoing self-examination.

This approach involves a dual process: acknowledging the determining influence of unconscious psychological forces while cultivating what Montaigne refers to as a "well-formed mind," one that can question its own certainties and embrace contradiction as a source of enlightenment rather than resistance.

Essential humility thus stands as a fundamental lever for enlightened leadership, as well as for all human conduct. Far from being a weakness, it fosters a healthy dynamic: it strengthens collective cohesion, builds trust, and nurtures a culture of continuous improvement. This approach allows the leader to refine a realistic perception, a critical skill for navigating the complexities of decision-making. Cultivating this humility requires an essential prerequisite: achieving emotional maturity, embracing otherness and differences as a source of enrichment, enabling, as Montaigne puts it, "to move toward those who contradict me." The teachings of this wise philosopher resonate strongly: authentic power must be rooted in humble conduct, anchored in a profound understanding of oneself and others.