The role of a leader is complex and messy, there is the requirement to lead but there is also a requirement to be led. As a leader you are interacting with multiple stakeholders in an organization. Some stakeholders are looking to you for leadership, and some stakeholders are leading you in the work around the mission and vision of the organization. Facing these multiple roles the leader comes in contact with a variety of personalities. As I have grown professionally I have accepted the fact that everyone that is successful has an ego. The people that are successful in leadership are able to keep that ego in check and walk the fine line between arrogance and confidence.
I have recently accepted a new position as a principal at a middle school. Through the onboarding process I am learning the culture of the new organization. I am learning the personalities of different district personnel. I am also reflecting on my experiences and my leadership style. I am learning the mission and vision of the new district and how I can follow and support that work. I am also learning the different staff members at my new school, and what they are looking for in their new leader. All of this new information has been exhilarating and exciting. It has also led me to reflect a great deal on my journey in education and leadership.
As I have been reflecting on colleagues that I have worked with, and people that I have been lucky enough to learn from, there is one common bond. Everyone that I have been inspired by and learned from has an ego. There is a lot of negative connotation around the word “ego”, but without this piece I do not know that these people would have had the massive impact on me in my personal and professional growth.
The leaders that have impacted me have had an ego, but they also surrounded themselves with people that have egos. The thing that made this successful was that everyone was able to demonstrate great awareness around their ego, and sustain a level of confidence while also demonstrating humility. The leaders that I personally struggled with would shy away from ego, and look to surround themselves with people that would follow and not pushback. As a leader I have reflected on this, and accepted the fact that if you want to inspire and move an organization forward you have to embrace ego as a positive, and work to provide guidance on how to balance and manage ego.
As a leader I know that I have an ego. The blindspot for my leadership is to balance that level of confidence personally, and embrace and surround myself with others with healthy egos. Personally there is no negative connotation in my mind around the word ego. Ego is healthy if balanced correctly and managed. I will look to embrace people with healthy egos, and I prefer to surround myself with people that do not shy away from individuals that present in a way that is confident.