Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving. This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul fella Aledo.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast. It's episode three point forty three. Every leader battles something. For some, it's indecision, for others, it's fear of failure. But for many, whether they admit it or not, the real enemy is ego. Not confidence, not self worth. Ego. Ego is that voice in your head that tells you you're the smartest person in the room, that your title makes you untouchable, that admitting your wrong is weakness, and
asking for help is beneath you. Ego is the thing that makes a leader stop listening. Ego is the thing that makes a leader start talking more than they should. Ego is the thing that keeps a team from speaking up because they know the boss won't hear them anyway. And I've seen leaders crash and burn not because they weren't talented, but because they were ego driven. Let me give you a real world example. A few years ago, I worked alongside a department head who believed their vision
was flawless. They dismissed every suggestion that didn't come from their own inner circle. They claimed to want feedback, but only if it validated their plan, and eventually the team stopped offering ideas. They disengaged, morale, tanked, talent left in the department, it stalled out, and when the dust settled, the post mortal wasn't about a bad product or a flawed strategy. It was about a leader who couldn't get out of their own way. That's the cost of ego.
So how do you know if ego is getting in your way? Let me give you five quick warning signs to look out for. Number one, you interrupt more than you listen. Number two, you always need the final word. Number three you treat disagreement as disrespect. Number four you think your title means you're above criticism. And number five you rarely say the three most important words, I was wrong. If any of those hit home, don't get defensive. That's
your ego talking again. Instead, pause and check in with yourself. Great leaders operate from humility, not ego. They know the mission is bigger than them. They surround themselves with people who challenge their They say, I don't know and they mean it. They care more about being effective than being right. Think of leaders that you admire, the ones who really made an impact, and I'd bet most of them were grounded, accessible,
open and real. The ones who lead with ego. You might remember their name, but not in the way they'd like. There's a quote that I love from Ryan Holiday's book Ego is the enemy. He writes, impressing people is utterly different from being truly impressive. Let that sink in for a minute. Ego pushes us to impress people by any means necessary. Leaders pull us to be impressive through our actions, our values, and how we treat others. So what's the fix?
Start here? Ask for feedback regularly and mean it. Don't just ask your top performers or your loyal team members, Ask the quiet ones, Ask the people who might be afraid to speak up. Tell them you want the truth, and then prove that you can handle it, and then share credit like it's your job, because it is your teams. Wins are never just about you. The spotlight isn't supposed to live on your shoulders. You have to pass that around and say I was wrong out loud. The moment
that a leader admits fault, they gain trust. It shows the team that accountability starts at the top and let other people shine. You don't have to be the loudest or the smartest. You just have to be the most secure and remember your why. Leadership is about service, not status. Every decision, every conversation, every opportunity, ask yourself, is this about the mission or is it about me? Because when ego wins, everybody else loses. So here goes the thing.
If you're serious about being a leader worth following, it starts with checking your ego at the door. Confidence yes, conviction absolutely, But ego that's the real enemy. And if you haven't done so, please check out my website Paulfalloalito dot com. I have a section on there called free Stuff where I have a ton of free leadership resources for you to download, and please if you enjoy the show, please share it and give it a five star review
on whatever podcasting platform you're listening on. This has been the seven minute leadership podcast and I thank you for listening.
For more Paul Fello Alito Podcasts, visit Paulfellowalito dot com.