,THE EGO
BY Maheen Riaz
THE EGO OF A LEADER
When Power Meets the Person Behind It
CHAPTER ONE
THE ANATOMY OF LEADERSHIP EGO
Lesson One: The Leader You See in the Mirror
Leadership changes the way people look at you.
The moment you are given authority, something subtle begins to happen.
People may start waiting for your decision. They may ask for your approval
,before moving forward. They may become more careful about how they
speak around you. Some will admire you. Some will challenge you. Some
will quietly disagree with you but never say it.
And slowly, without realizing it, you can begin to believe that the person
everyone is responding to is you.
It is not.
They are responding to your position.
That distinction sounds simple, but it is one of the most important
distinctions a leader will ever learn.
A title can give you authority.
A position can give you influence.
A company can give you resources.
But none of these things automatically give you wisdom.
This is where leadership ego begins.
It does not always arrive as arrogance. Sometimes it arrives disguised as
confidence. Sometimes it sounds like decisiveness. Sometimes it looks like
high standards. Sometimes it hides behind the sentence:
“I am only trying to do what is best for the team.”
And sometimes that sentence is completely true.
But sometimes it is the excuse we use when our ego does not want to be
questioned.
When Authority Becomes Identity
Imagine a young manager who has recently been promoted.
, For years, she worked hard. She learned the business, solved problems,
stayed late when necessary, and earned the trust of senior leadership.
Finally, she gets the promotion she wanted.
At first, everything feels exciting.
People come to her for decisions.
Her name appears in important meetings.
Her opinion carries more weight.
Then one afternoon, one of her team members says:
“I don't think this approach is going to work.”
Nothing dramatic has happened.
It is simply an opinion.
But the manager feels something inside her change.
She thinks:
I am responsible for this team. If I allow people to challenge me like this,
will they stop respecting me?
So she responds quickly.
“We've already decided. Let's move on.”
The conversation ends.
The employee stays quiet.
The manager feels that she has maintained authority.
But something else happened.
She may have won the conversation while losing access to information.
BY Maheen Riaz
THE EGO OF A LEADER
When Power Meets the Person Behind It
CHAPTER ONE
THE ANATOMY OF LEADERSHIP EGO
Lesson One: The Leader You See in the Mirror
Leadership changes the way people look at you.
The moment you are given authority, something subtle begins to happen.
People may start waiting for your decision. They may ask for your approval
,before moving forward. They may become more careful about how they
speak around you. Some will admire you. Some will challenge you. Some
will quietly disagree with you but never say it.
And slowly, without realizing it, you can begin to believe that the person
everyone is responding to is you.
It is not.
They are responding to your position.
That distinction sounds simple, but it is one of the most important
distinctions a leader will ever learn.
A title can give you authority.
A position can give you influence.
A company can give you resources.
But none of these things automatically give you wisdom.
This is where leadership ego begins.
It does not always arrive as arrogance. Sometimes it arrives disguised as
confidence. Sometimes it sounds like decisiveness. Sometimes it looks like
high standards. Sometimes it hides behind the sentence:
“I am only trying to do what is best for the team.”
And sometimes that sentence is completely true.
But sometimes it is the excuse we use when our ego does not want to be
questioned.
When Authority Becomes Identity
Imagine a young manager who has recently been promoted.
, For years, she worked hard. She learned the business, solved problems,
stayed late when necessary, and earned the trust of senior leadership.
Finally, she gets the promotion she wanted.
At first, everything feels exciting.
People come to her for decisions.
Her name appears in important meetings.
Her opinion carries more weight.
Then one afternoon, one of her team members says:
“I don't think this approach is going to work.”
Nothing dramatic has happened.
It is simply an opinion.
But the manager feels something inside her change.
She thinks:
I am responsible for this team. If I allow people to challenge me like this,
will they stop respecting me?
So she responds quickly.
“We've already decided. Let's move on.”
The conversation ends.
The employee stays quiet.
The manager feels that she has maintained authority.
But something else happened.
She may have won the conversation while losing access to information.
