Recently I sat as a very dear colleague welcomed participants to the fourth day of a leadership development program I was facilitating. She shared the importance of humility when leading – that it was not about being self less but rather thinking of self, less. Fine and important distinction. My colleague then expertly progressed to link humility with being a servant leader and operating without ego.
The ego naughtily gets in the way of us being at our best and bringing out the best in others. Ego pops up to protect and defend us so we can stay “safe” and “right”. It stops us from hearing and accepting feedback. It keeps us on the same track so we have predictability and can “look good”.
It prevents us from learning and experiencing habitual events and situations with a different mindset. It cuts us off from new experiences. It strangles our creativity.
My colleague suggested the power of “egos anonymous” – where people gather to share how their egos have got in their way and prevented them from being at their best.
The ego works hard to distract you from your courageous path as a leader. So it takes courage to challenge it, find the triggers that enable your ego and then “stand up to it”. Courageous Leaders acknowledge this and they work hard to challenge the ego!
