The recent history of our own country, a 246-year-old experiment in Democracy, has revealed to us, and to the rest of the world as well, the clear and present danger of arrogant leaders. Through our own American experience, history also teaches us that the more deluded people are about their own skills, talents and capabilities, the easier it is for them to hoodwink others into believing the lie that they are more capable than they are, or ever could be, in reality. The life’s blood that flows through the veins of such leaders, be they politicians on the world stage, or CEO’s and corporate presidents, is a self-inflated sense of confidence. It is what fuels their engine.

Truth be told, there is no shortage of supremely arrogant senior executives in the world. A good number of us have, at one time or another, worked for massively arrogant, overconfident and assertive people who, in truth, were never as good as they thought they were. In the end, and in the face of having long runs of success, things often end badly for such leaders.

Regardless of the particular operating arena, too much confidence invariably leads to serious problems. For when all is said and done, leaders who walk the path that is marked by egotism, arrogance and hubris end up on the ash-heap of failure from drinking the dangerous cocktail of overconfidence, over-stretched ambition, and the epic arrogance that is fueled by too much power and success.

In such leaders, isolation, contempt and suspicion for the advice and – or criticism of others, arrogance and hubris can and do result in leaders overreaching their capabilities. They ultimately make reckless and dangerous decisions that result in dire consequences not only for themselves, but also for those who are dazzled by the aura they project and who follow them blindly. We only need to look at two current examples of this that are found in modern history; the 45th President of the United States, and the current President of Russia. Both men have teetered on the cliff edge of falling victim to the same hubris that leaders such as Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexander the Great all fell victim too. In all of them, somewhere along the way humility was lost in the thick gray fog of unbridled ambition and ego.

Vladimir Putin, a dictator in every sense of the word, is indeed the poster child for the excesses of arrogance, ego and hubris. He is today, and always has been, blind to the pitfalls of his narcissistic personality. For all intents and purposes, the cornerstone of Putin’s leadership rests on having charted a course where any shred of honest self-reflection, openness to criticism, or honesty in seeing his own foibles is conspicuous by its absence. His bloody and reckless war on Ukraine serves as a tangible proof point of an arrogance and hubris that is on steroids.

Much like arrogant corporate CEO’s and former national leaders, Putin has a checkered track record of blaming others when decisions that he has made go wrong. He fails to seek any morsel of feedback from those around him, and appears to view any kind of even the most mild and diplomatic disagreement as a personal slight, as he is wrapped in a cape of constant self-glorification. If these traits sound all too familiar, it may be because they reflect a mirror image of the 45th President of the United States. There is a palpable feel of darkness to such leaders.

Where Putin is concerned, when all is said and done, the undying courage, fortitude and gritty determination of the Ukrainian military, and the nation’s civilian population, have written a primer for him on the definition of self-determination, and standing up for what is right. How has he addressed his gross underestimation of the will of Ukraine to stand up in the face of overwhelming odds? He has taken the path of blatant Genocide and war crimes. The latest chapter is written in the tragic glory of Mariupol. It is the place where the entire world watched the Ukrainians make a valiant last stand. Mariupol having been reduced to a burnt out cinder from relentless Russian bombardment shines a sad light on the fact that this arrogant man in the Kremlin will do anything, and everything, in order to feed his ego and wear the label of “winner.” Again, at some point along the way, such pronounced arrogance and hubris does not end well.

“Beware of Darkness,” a song from the late George Harrison’s classic 1970 album “All Things Must Pass,” captures what my words cannot.

“Watch out now, take care

Beware of greedy leaders

They take you where you should not go

While Weeping Atlas Cedars

They just want to grow, grow and grow

Beware of darkness.”

Paul Collins is a freelance writer from Southborough, Massachusetts.