Beware of children operating as powerful adults and do not be beguiled. Their greatest fear is that they will be exposed and they invariably fail in the face of a crisis. The breakdown in the leadership becomes the breakdown of the team, organization or country.
IDENTIFYING EIGHT EGO-DRIVEN LEADERS
To identify the powerful qualities of an enlightened leader it is sometimes helpful to look at what is not leadership. The following are some common roles and actions demonstrated by the ego-driven leader. In contrast to the potent ability of an enlightened leader to promote creativity, energize, and incite action through honor and respect, the ego-driven manager operates from the impotence of fear.
The enlightened leader creates an environment of synergism in which all members of a group align with a higher purpose, and together develop passion and commitment to achieve the goal. The ego-driven leader does not.
This positive group dynamic in the enlightened leader’s workplace occurs quite naturally when the barriers of the ego don’t block the flow of energy. A free flow of exchange can be felt by all members and enhances the ability of each person to give to the group process.
Ego-driven leaders, in their effort to strengthen their illusion of themselves, create static, or interference of free-flowing ideas in the workplace. This interference affects those they lead and hinders the creative stream of consciousness.
Let’s look carefully at the qualities of a leader who operates from this egoic thought system. This leader has many talents and abilities, but does not really believe he does. Ego-driven leaders have incredible doubts and fears. They rely on their self-created image rather than the inner strength, power, and wisdom that are available when they are aligned with spirit.
Deep down inside, ego-driven leaders do not believe they are worthy of the position they hold! This belief leads to the unbearable fear that the truth will be discovered and they will be exposed as an imposter. This imposter syndrome is so prevalent it has become the norm. The practice of pretending to be a leader has become the current model of management for many companies and organizations.
What does the ego-driven leader do to protect the secret and avoid exposure?
Like all people in the workplace, ego-driven leaders have certain techniques to ensure their position and their so-called security. It is especially harmful when leaders operate from false identities because they hold institutional power. Thus it is very difficult to challenge or to not be controlled by these techniques if you are one of those they lead.
The following techniques are used by the ego to cast itself as a leader. Although many subordinates are beguiled and make efforts to please artificial leaders, many others recognize these charlatans and are aware of how disingenuous their words and actions are. But because of the apparent power of the leaders and the vulnerabilities of those they lead, this is rarely addressed.
These techniques are unconscious to those who use them since the techniques provide a sense of power, albeit false, to the egos playing these roles. Like all things created by the egoic thought system, however, this feeling of power is temporary, as fear always lurks beneath the surface.
THE DICTATOR / BULLY
This leader uses intimidation and fear to get people to do what the ego believes is needed to accomplish goals. The ego has a hidden motive as well: validation that it is all-powerful.
This false leader has no ability to feel compassion for others. The dictator’s need to strengthen their small self-image precludes any awareness of others or the willingness to look outside of the self. The ego’s greatest fear in this role is it will be discovered it is powerless.
STAR-OF-THE-TEAM LEADER / KNOW-IT-ALL LEADER
Playing this role allows the ego to stay in place by creating the appearance of being the champion, the rescuer of those less capable. The know-it-all leader has to be right to maintain the ego’s sense of superiority, which is believed to be necessary for leadership.
Ironically, knowing everything prevents this leader from learning anything and blocks all flowing creativity from those in the organization. His ego’s greatest fear is that one of the people he leads may be the understudy, waiting to replace him. But since the leader already knows everything, the employees cannot contribute anything anyway.
THE FAULT-FINDING, BLAMING LEADER
The blaming technique employed by this ego-driven leader is an attempt to direct attention away from herself, so her actual fear and doubt will not be exposed.
Those she leads are in a defensive posture because she always looks for what is wrong. This stifles any creativity and confidence in people who might otherwise contribute in an outstanding manner. The employee’s focus becomes trying not to make a mistake, rather than working positively and productively and taking creative risks.
THE DISCOUNTING LEADER
This method renders employees impotent by pointing out their inferiority. Rather than acknowledge and praise his employees, the discounting leader uses his people to elevate himself and strengthen what he believes is his power position.
This ego-driven leader rarely gives others credit because it would threaten his position. The ego finds that the weak are less intimidating to its own fragile sense of power. Employees never feel appreciated and become apathetic toward any purposeful activity.
THE EMPIRE-BUILDING LEADER
Gaining territorial, political, financial, or competitive advantage over others is the method this leader uses to ensure the false image of authority, which is a demonstration of a deep lack of worth. The deeper the sense of worthlessness, the larger the empire needed to demonstrate the false power.
This person is never satisfied and will continue to attempt to build a greater empire. But it is an endless, fruitless endeavor. The acquisition of symbols of supremacy is the driving force behind this ego-driven leader.
THE PATRONIZING, PLACATING LEADER
Coming from a desperate fear of not being admired or needed, this leader appears at first to be compassionate and caring. He seems to agree with subordinates’ ideas and provides positive communication. When the action is not commensurate with the words, the lack of authenticity is demonstrated.
The patronizing leader believes he has no power and therefore cannot step up to the plate, except in a subversive manner. He instills no confidence, respect, or trust in employees.
THE MICRO-MANAGER
This leader maintains all sense of identity and security by controlling the situation and others in it. To prevent anything from going wrong and the ego being held accountable, this leader exerts a microscopic vigilance over people and events of the day. The sense of superiority and feeling of safety she achieves with these actions reinforce the behavior.
The people she leads feel like they are being held in a cage, allowed to move but only in a tiny arena. Micro-managers are afraid of losing face and believe this high control will keep them protected.
THE MARTYR / SELF-RIGHTEOUS LEADER
The martyr appears selfless and benevolent. This leader seems to have the best interests of everyone at heart, but he has a hidden, underlying motive. Though unconscious, this person makes apparent sacrifices while secretly keeping score. He works relentlessly, putting in endless hours, to demonstrate his great dedication. No one can keep up with him, so employees feel guilty and believe they have to exhibit this same workaholism to keep their jobs. And sooner or later the self-righteous leader uses this strategy to make others feel guilty.
These examples of various ego methods of leadership are not all-inclusive. Variations and overlapping do occur. It is important to understand that these roles are not taken on consciously. They are simply the ego’s way to cope in an environment where fear and insecurity are present. The tragedy is these ego-defined roles compound the pain and suffering for everyone who is subject to them.
Recognizing these roles is usually fairly easy when looking at others. The difficulty and denial arises in seeing them in oneself. Denial is a powerful technique to avoid dealing with the ego’s dysfunctional issues, methods, and actions. It takes unrelenting commitment to the goal of transformation to overcome the denial that seeks to keep the ego in place.
Beneath the surface of a leader’s ego is the trepidation that one or more of those she leads would like to sabotage her rule and her ideas. This fear reinforces in her the need for further defensiveness, which is a barrier to synergism and group will. This underlying mistrust of employees increases the complexity of the situation, adds new layers of confusion, and reduces the chances for any real communication.
The leader’s mask of overt confidence is a hindrance to the work process and prevents opportunities for group expansion and purpose. But the leader is almost always unaware it is a disguise because the ego is so shrewd. Our ego prevents us from looking behind our charade because of the dread that we will find out we are weak and unworthy. So we lie to ourselves, continue on our journey, and hope our countenance will cover our insecurity.
The ego continues its attempts to validate itself at the expense of others, giving itself the illusion of authority. And when the title on the door is authoritative, the impact on those who must work with the ego-driven leader can have devastating consequences—not only for the employees but for the organization as well.
