Leaders’ ego kill business | Sunday Observer

Leaders’ ego kill business

16 February, 2020
When egos are left behind, an environment of collaboration will become the platform of your culture.
When egos are left behind, an environment of collaboration will become the platform of your culture.

While one might think a big ego is actually a common trait among over-achieving business people (or over-achievers in general), the truth is that an out-of-control ego is anything but conducive to success. Egos kill businesses.

Although a great mix of ignorance and ego is needed to start a successful business, eventually egos will kill it. We start companies based on our technical skills or business acumen, but over time it’s our emotional intelligence that allows the business to grow and scale with tremendous upside.

What’s your experience with Sri Lankan business leaders – don’t most of them have egos? Some who come across as being leaders with the best of human attributes in public do behave completely differently within the workplace.

This may be true for your leader too. Does it help you or your organisation? Does it help the leader in the long run? These are the critical questions.

Ego is an important and necessary ingredient to become a successful entrepreneur.

I have worked with over 60 entrepreneurial leadership teams, the leader of each business had a healthy dose of ego and that’s not a bad thing.

The issue is that over time, egos destroy businesses. Leaders who don’t get honest feedback to drive the business forward, get disconnected from the front-line employees, they don’t let go of the vine, and they become ignorant to their impact on every employee within the organisation, they become blind at the top.

Learn from the fighters

Humility goes hand-in-hand with an egoless leader. A big ego makes you afraid to push, to try new things, to open up and grow. Ego makes you complacent and stagnant in your thinking.

The epic fighters have an inner fierceness, a focus that belies their calm appearance and a no-excuses drive to do whatever it takes to succeed. A sincere attitude, laser-focused drive and a stoic commitment to a work ethic drives results. When the ego is at the forefront, arrogance can kill opportunities.

The loud egocentric leader who doesn’t permit dialogue, judges people who share their experiences and lacks emotional intelligence, kills dreams quickly.

Close-minded people are less likely to discover new ideas, as they disengage from learning from others or forming connections. False assumptions are made, team work is devalued and humility gets thrown out of the window. When egos are left behind, an environment of collaboration will become the platform of your culture. The leader sets the tone and when it turns into a culture, the belief is infused throughout the organisation. When you come in with an open mind and focus on mission success, you will foster a culture of collaboration. This will permeate the tapestry of the organisation.

Success is based on relationships and bringing people graciously along, not on personal advancement.

Recognise that it takes a committed team effort to work towards viable solutions.

It starts with you

Leaving ego behind has different meanings to different people. It takes a humble leader to admit what they do not know to lead the organisation’s most precious treasure – our daughters, sons, mothers and fathers. Egos bent on personal glory are not what we need in the 21st century.

People deserve putting the team first and egos last. To break through the turf wars in your organisation, starts with you.

Working on yourself is the highest act of leadership. Alone, you can make good decisions. Collaboratively, you envision greater opportunities.

Checking your ego means abandoning pursuit of approval, attention, and appreciation and then channeling your energy to awakening and leading with the ultimate version of you.

Business lives or dies on the decisions you make and the attitudes you hold from the beginning. All mindsets feed the ego.

Business is a wild ride, with lots of ups and downs and unexpected turns. The best workplaces represent a commitment by every person to become their best self.

Starting with the founder, the alignment of personal and organisational values creates the compass for all decision making. When you move your ego to the side and place your best self forward, you create a value-based focus in the workplace.

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