Is ego quietly shaping some of the decisions in your organisation?

How to recognise the subtle ways ego can influence leadership decisions.

Many leaders genuinely believe they are acting in the best interests of their organisation.

Yet global research suggests a growing tension between leaders and the teams they serve. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer reports that only 61% of team members trust their CEOs to do what is right.

This trust gap rarely appears suddenly.

More often, it emerges slowly through patterns of behaviour shaped by one subtle influence: the ego.

The ego itself is not the enemy. It fuels ambition, achievement, and the desire to improve. But when the unchecked ego becomes the dominant force in decision-making, something begins to shift.

• Decisions may become defensive rather than thoughtful.
• Control may replace curiosity.
• Authority may begin to matter more than understanding.

And all this can quietly erode the psychological safety teams need to perform well.

Google’s Project Aristotle, one of the most extensive studies on high-performing teams, found that the most important factor behind team performance was not intelligence, experience, or strategy. It was psychological safety.

People perform best when they feel safe to speak openly, challenge ideas, and contribute honestly.

Unchecked ego-driven leadership can undermine that safety. A useful test is to examine the question guiding your decisions.

Ego asks: How does this reflect on me?

Purpose asks: What serves the organisation and team members best?

When the unchecked ego leads, innovation slows. People hesitate to challenge the “smartest person in the room,” and organisations fall into what we call the Committee Trap, where decisions stall because no one feels safe making the call.

Purpose-driven leaders take a different approach.

• They focus on clarity.
• They ask better questions.
• They prioritise outcomes over personal validation.

As we often say at Dreem: The quality of your leadership is determined by the quality of the questions you ask.

Continue the Conversation

If this topic resonates, you can explore further how you can move from control-driven behaviour toward purpose-led leadership. 

Read our supporting article: Control vs Leadership: Understanding the Difference

Leadership begins with self-awareness.

To explore the deeper leadership patterns that shape organisations, keep an eye out for Unfollow the Leader, where we explore how ego, identity, and awareness influence modern leadership. 

Written in a simple, heart-centred way, the book brings leadership to life through real stories, practical reflections, and clear tools you can apply straight away. Each chapter is designed to be easy to follow and to help you turn insight into action, for results that stick. 

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