bcg blog

Shared Ego

The art of leadership is blending the personalities, strengths, and egos of all team members into a cohesive unit. Of course, there are plenty of scientific and tactical steps that help us on this path. Many are very useful, but if you are averse to the messiness of the artistic side of leadership then it’s probably best to avoid it all together. 

Leadership is not neat or clean. 
As a matter of fact, if it is neat and clean then your team is likely faking it.

It’s easy to accept it because we want to. We want it to be clean. We want it to be easy.
It’s not. It’s never going to be.
And, that’s good news. 

The good stuff is never neat and clean.
And, they’re definitely not easy.

Why Should We Care?
Every member of your team arrives with baggage. We don’t control what they bring, but we do become responsible for helping them use it for the good of themselves and the team. 

Expecting team members to strip themselves of their ego, or personal identity and idea of self-importance, isn’t realistic. It’s also not what is best for the team.

The ego each individual brings to the team is precisely what makes a team so special. The individual ego isn’t the problem. The placement of the individual ego is the problem. 

When a team comes together, to expect all individual egos to fall to the side is absurd. They’re still there. What can, and should, be expected when a team is formed is for the collective ego of the team to be prioritized above that of each individual.

This is the charge of the leader.

We must remain focused and adamant with our commitment to the team first. The individual is important, but always secondary to the team. As leaders, we should not be trying to blend the egos of the individual, rather we should facilitate a shared ego all team members will embrace. 

The shared ego of the team far exceeds that of the individual. A shared ego also creates a shared identity that cements the importance of the team.

REAL TALK - Action Steps
Blending the team is difficult primarily because of all the egos involved. Here are a few ideas to help create a shared ego the whole team will benefit from. 

• Everyone Is Important
  
  • Everyone has a role to play. Everyone. And, every role is important. None more important than the next. As team members begin to understand the value they bring, their team-identity grows. As they see their importance to the group, the importance of the self begins to depreciate. 
    

• We’re In This Together
  
  • We are always greater than I. Us is always stronger than me. A purpose is a powerful thing. It’s more powerful when that purpose is shared among a team. Be willing to enter the muddy waters and allow all the egos to collide in search of a shared goal that all team members can commit to.
    

• Nothing Is Impossible
  
  • Be sure not to sell your team short. When a group of individuals concede their individual egos for that of a team, everything is on the table. It’s easy for leaders to unintentionally place limits on their teams. There are no limits when a committed, selfless team is involved.
    

On a bigger scale, this applies to our view of the world. The world is our team. We all play a vital role. No one is more important than anyone else. And, we really are in this together. What if our ego were shared? What if we thought about us before me? 

For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. 
We would love to know how we could help!

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