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When Ego Creeps In: How Leaders Can Address Egos that Hinder Productivity

Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
Aug 5
5 min read

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Abstract: This article examines how unchecked egos can undermine organizational effectiveness despite well-intentioned leadership. Drawing from research on ego threats—moments when one's self-image feels challenged—the author explains how these psychological events trigger defensive behaviors that impair judgment and collaboration. The piece identifies common sources of workplace ego inflation, including inadequate feedback cultures, narcissistic tendencies, insecurity, competitive environments, and leadership vacuums. Through case studies and evidence-based approaches, the article presents practical strategies for mitigating ego-driven behaviors, including establishing compassionate feedback norms, celebrating collaborative achievements, normalizing learning from mistakes, modeling humble leadership, implementing structured feedback systems, and fostering purpose-driven work. The article demonstrates how addressing ego threats can transform organizational culture, replacing defensive posturing with psychological safety and cooperative innovation that drives superior results.

As a seasoned management consultant and researcher, I have witnessed how egos can silently sabotage even the most well-intentioned teams and derail progress. While a healthy sense of self-confidence is important for leadership, unchecked egos often arise from insecurity and get in the way of cooperation, innovation, and results.

Today we will explore what the research says about ego threats in organizations, why they emerge, and practical strategies leaders can use to check ego at the door.

What is an Ego Threat and Why Does it Matter?

An ego threat occurs when a person feels their image, reputation, or sense of self is challenged or diminished in some way (Baumeister et al., 1996). For leaders and high-achievers especially, ego threats activate innate psychological defenses meant to protect the fragile ego. This causes behaviors that are ultimately self-defeating like defensiveness, blaming others, and stonewalling.

Unfortunately, organizational life is full of subtle ego threats that stem from things like feedback, criticism, collaborative tasks where credit is shared, and new ideas that disrupt the status quo. While people may not consciously recognize these threats, the ego's reactions are very real and impair judgment, cooperation and learning. They breed toxic cultures where people are focused on advancing their own agendas rather than organizational goals.

Research indicates these threats trigger a "threat-rigidity" response in the brain where rigid, defensive thinking narrows our perspectives (Staw et al., 1981). Creativity, flexibility and seeing other viewpoints get sidelined. Performance predictably suffers as a result. For leaders especially, unchecked egos threaten their ability to unite people, make sound decisions and adapt to change.

Where do Organizational Egos Come From?

There are a few common sources for inflated egos in the workplace:

Lack of Feedback Culture: Many organizations fail to establish psychologically-safe feedback norms where people can have candid discussions to learn and improve without defensiveness. Without proper self-awareness calibration, egos run rampant.
Over-inflated Self-image: Some individuals genuinely lack insight into how their behavior impacts others due to narcissistic tendencies or an arrogant leadership style (Rosenthal & Pittinsky, 2006). Feedback falls on deaf ears as they believe they do no wrong.
Fragile Self-esteem: For others, an inflated ego compensates for deep-seated insecurities. Criticism or admitting flaws threatens their shaky sense of self-worth. The ego fiercely defends an ideal self-image rather than facing reality (Baumeister et al., 1996).
Competition for Recognition & Resources: When advancement depends heavily on one-upping peers, people are incentivized to promote themselves and guard turf rather than collaborating for shared success. Office politics breed unhealthy egoism.
Lack of Purposeful Leadership: Poorly defined missions, values and expectations create a vacuum where egos are free to run rampant without clear goals or guardrails to keep self-interest in check. Strong, purposeful leadership is the antidote.

By understanding the psychology behind why egos tend to inflate, leaders can begin dismantling conditions that feed them and establish a healthier culture.

Practical Strategies for Managing Organizational Egos

As a consultant, here are some tested strategies I've seen work to mitigate ego threats and reinforce humbler, team-oriented mindsets:

Establish Candid Yet Compassionate Feedback Norms: Explicitly discuss the importance of constructive criticism and make it psychologically safe to give and receive feedback without defensiveness through compassionate communication training. Frame it as a gift rather than a personal judgment.
Celebrate Collaboration Over Individual Performance: Through rituals like sharing success stories where multiple stakeholders contributed, reward interdependence rather than solo acts. This shifts ego investment away from proving one's self towards the team's joint achievements.
Foster Learning Through Mistakes: Promote a growth mindset where failures and missteps are seen as opportunities to gain wisdom, rather than threats. When people feel psychologically safe trying new things, ego is less on the line.
Role Model Humble, Servant Leadership: Leaders must exemplify putting the organization's interests above self through actions like engaging critics, crediting others generously, and admitting errors. This gives license for others to check their egos at the door.
Provide Structured Feedback: Anonymous 360 reviews and multi-rater assessments offer unvarnished perspectives and pinpoint blind spots to provoke insightful reflection rather than defensive reactions. Data neutralizes ego threats.
Foster Purpose Over Praise: Link goals, efforts and rewards to meaningful impacts, not individual accolades which inflate egos. A shared higher purpose subordinates self-interest for the collective good.

An Industry Case Study: Ego Derails Pharma Innovation

Let me briefly share how unchecked ego sabotaged productive collaboration at a large pharmaceutical company where I once consulted. Silos between R&D divisions were stifling innovation due to unchecked egoism and territorialism over projects and credit.

Leadership kickstarted progress by demonstrating authentic appreciation for diverse ideas, not personal status or turf. They restructured incentives to reward cooperative ventures that drew on multiple skillsets over solo “hotshot” achievements.

Project teams then used anonymous idea suggestion boxes, allowing diverse perspectives to surface safely without defensiveness. Crucially, leadership modeled checking their own egos by openly soliciting and addressing critical feedback to cultivate trust.

These evidence-based strategies dissolved ego-driven defensiveness and fostered cross-pollination. New blockbuster drug partnerships emerged from unlikely pairings. Silos shattered as people prioritized mutual understanding over one-upmanship. Where egos once reigned, collaboration and breakthroughs followed.

Conclusion

Leaders looking to maximize their organizations' performance and creativity would be wise to address the subtle yet corrosive impacts of unchecked egos. By understanding ego threats, dismantling conditions that feed inflated egos, and role modeling humble leadership, work cultures can transform into psychologically-safe environments where people cooperate selflessly for shared success over inflated self-image. Productivity and innovation thrive when egos take a backseat to purpose, teamwork and growth. Leaders play a key role in keeping the workplace ego in check for optimal results.

References

Baumeister, R. F., Smart, L., & Boden, J. M. (1996). Relation of threatened egotism to violence and aggression: The dark side of high self-esteem. Psychological review, 103(1), 5.
Rosenthal, S. A., & Pittinsky, T. L. (2006). Narcissistic leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 617-633.
Staw, B. M., Sandelands, L. E., & Dutton, J. E. (1981). Threat rigidity effects in organizational behavior: A multilevel analysis. Administrative science quarterly, 501-524.
Psychological Science. (n.d.). The power of compassionate communication. Observer.
Dweck, C. S. (2016). What having a "growth mindset" actually means. Harvard Business Review.

Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Associate Dean and Director of HR Programs (WGU); Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD/HR/Leadership Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2025). When Ego Creeps In: How Leaders Can Address Egos that Hinder Productivity. Human Capital Leadership Review, 24(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.24.1.4