Our Ego and Leadership Styles
Leadership skills hold pivotal importance in the modern world. It is the one skill that helps lead team members or masses and distinguishes you from others. In simple words, it is the art of empowering and creating an impact on others to achieve their goals. This may manifest differently in various spheres of life - be it leading a team at a workplace , an initiative within your community or heading a group of people on a super busy road. In many contexts it is one factor amongst many leaders - strive to achieve higher self and be role model for others. But do you think the masses want to be led by a high-headed leader or someone who is extremely authoritative that they start micromanaging them? The answer is “No”. Then what exactly is it that gets in the way of exemplary leadership? In most scenarios, it is our Ego.
“Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.”
~ John C. Maxwell
How does our Ego affect our Leadership abilities?
Having an inflated ego makes us more susceptible to manipulation, corrupts our behavior and ultimately drives us to act antagonistic to our value system. An inflated ego often makes us feel very nice in terms of material prospects like - a better salary, a bigger office and better services. Such things in turn feed our ego which deviates us from the original path that we had paved in our heads.
Leadership Styles: Which works and which doesn't?
Authoritarian: Crisis-friendly directive leaders. These leaders combined with manipulative accountability due to unhealthy use of their willpower function try to be in control of situations and teams. There is nothing incorrect being in control of your resources in a healthy way. The problem starts when micromanaging the team becomes obsessive and expectations are conditioned. Thus, this leads to distressed team members or can happen in the family dynamics.
Compassionate Democratic: Focuses on team collaboration and involvement. These leaders are also more acceptable in the modern world, where they are empowering their team members with accountability and flexibility. Instead of being in a constant state of control, they prefer delegating and trusting their subordinates with the deliverables which leads to an increased sense of motivation among the employees. This improvement can be substantially seen in terms of their employee retention rate, although teams still may split up often due to corporate culture and even though your direct reporting may be to a compassionate and trusted leader. Sometimes we feel the compassionate leader cannot produce results, this is a myth and our modern world driven by greed often overlooks the productive style of a compassionate leader. These leaders expand their horizons and in constant learning while supporting the growth of team members, quite often these are the ones who fight for resources and wellbeing of the team mates with higher management.
If we break it down, think of it as an instance where your vehicle breaks down in winter. If we revive the engine right in the morning on a cold day, it does more harm than good. We can damage the car engine further. So likewise, for improving productivity and team dynamics instead of continuously pushing people with deadlines and goals, leaders may rather support building team resilience and supporting them to understand the goals within their boundaries as organizational leaders. A true leadership role comes with lots of responsibility and accountability .
As per Harvard Business studies and through personal experiences, leadership is about enabling groups to accomplish their goals while having a sense of compassion and understanding towards the team. For accomplishing any goals towards change management or innovations, AI is also one of the key factors. The inflated ego that accompanies success may make us feel that we have it all figured out. But the truth is, we haven't.
If we allow our ego to define what we believe, we will never be able to reach the pinnacle of success unless we drive the wisdom from our willpower. In today’s transformative times, leaders are not meant to lead the masses but to have the sustainable will power to foster others. Today, being a leader also means operating from a healthy willpower function and being compassionate towards the people you are leading.
“To handle yourself use your head, to handle others use your heart.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
How to break free from an overshadowing Ego?
Foster genuine relationships
Being in the company of people who are neutral to your success, supports your own growth. People who do not feed your ego for their own benefit and believe in genuine relationships to support each other rather being people pleasers.Consider everything temporary
Appreciate the opportunities that come with your role to allow you to work better. It may be a good idea to give up the ones that just fuel your societal status to please others.Be open to growth and Change
It is beneficial to explore alternative viewpoints and ideas , getting bogged down in being perfect and lowering your productivity can tire you over time. Embrace the challenging times when you made mistakes, learning from them and evolving is the key here .Practice gratitude & mindfulness
In this ever-changing world, find moments of stillness and practice meditation. This helps to provide clarity and for better decision making. Gratitude allows us to shift our focus to the present moment and is a magnet for better opportunities.Celebrate Success of others
Instead of feeling competitive and threatened by peers, take a moment to appreciate and celebrate the success of other people. This instills humility and induces better motivation to work harder than being envious.
In Human Design for business, Decision Making Strategy is the key for all BG5 Business Career types . After reflecting back on my business career and experiences as an Evaluator Career type, I recommend going deeper into our Ego Center which represents our willpower, determination, drive and self-worth. Our willpower function may or may not operate naturally in a healthy way for us. In a natural healthy state for us we may consistently access our willpower without getting distracted in the mind or emotions. We may experience an inherent sense of self-esteem and self-worth. Our will power function affects each individual differently, as per Ra Uru Hu , founder of Human Design System this is where we need highest level of awareness to drive the wisdom. We are not here to prove to others.
Whenever my mind got distracted with the conditioning around me, like pressure from peers or bosses to meet unrealistic targets, I experienced my shadow behavior, for example getting mentally defensive or feeling frustrated. In BG5 personality assessment coaching sessions with clients we refer to this as "Not self state" or shadows.
This is when the mind starts operating and we may have a pumped-up ego. As a leader, we may start expecting people to be as efficient as us and sometimes we may even push them through hardcore deadlines to make them work at our speed. These are not the innate qualities of a good leader to keep the teams engaged . The better way may be to honor other’s uniqueness with respect and encourage teammates to use their energy productively in an aligned way, removing barriers.
In the modern business living style today, having a balanced approach to use our Will power function is the key . The BG5 Personality Assessment tool helped me to understand my Business Career type - Evaluator and recognize how I do not need to push boundaries of others in my shadow behavior nor do I let others cross my own boundaries when pushed into deadlines at work . Hence, here the success quotient is about learning through the pitfalls and driving that same will power function whether defined or undefined towards a journey of awareness in a leadership role.
If you want to explore more on the leadership roles and explore what exactly it is that’s refraining you from reaching your maximum potential as a leader, we encourage you to connect with us . I would love to help you on this journey of knowing about your innate talents & striving to achieve a natural, healthy self-state that empowers you .
Our previous blog also describes about how intuition affects leadership styles, connecting with wisdom of intuition, willpower can foster growth of mindful new leadership styles.
Shining Compass offers experienced coaching for individuals, solo entrepreneurs, family business owners and teams seeking to develop business strategies, overcome challenges or cultivate a more fulfilling and authentic vocation.
If you are interested in learning more about willpower function in Human Design System Aura types , then a BG5® Career Design Overview may be what you need. It is the perfect way to learn more about your innate personality business traits and may provide guidance in the career fields. It helps to assist in discerning where to invest your time, effort and energy for a more fulfilling aligned goals.
Loveleen Paintal, Founder of Shining Compass® provides consulting for individuals and businesses for personal exploration, business team dynamics and leadership.
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