EDITORIAL
Raise the Future | Rob Hoskins
My friend, Pastor Craig Groeschel from Life.Church, asked me a hard-hitting question on his podcast: What is the greatest area of vulnerability in a leader? Immediately, my answer came to mind—ego. Excessive ego will lead to the eventual downfall and demise of a leader. I’ve seen repeatedly how an unchecked ego can either throw off a young leader’s trajectory or consume well-established leaders.
As leaders grow in influence and power, the temptation to feed their ego intensifies. Unfortunately, as ego increases, self-awareness diminishes. Leaders become blind to their flaws and disconnect from the feedback that grounds them. This lack of self-awareness can severely hinder their effectiveness.
While combatting egos is a lifelong journey, anyone can take steps forward to improve. Here are five practical tips for keeping an ego at bay:
1. Invite others to identify gaps in your self-awareness.
All leaders have blind spots that need to be illuminated. This isn’t simply one-time feedback. Invite people you trust to regularly help set guardrails for your life and speak up when you’re veering off course. Seeking feedback from others will help increase self-awareness.
2. Build and incorporate structures of accountability.
In the end, there is no accountability without community, and vice versa. Mentors play a crucial role in creating these structures, encouraging transparency, and fostering an environment where leaders can be challenged in constructive ways. Accountability can take many forms, such as regular check-ins with trusted peers or creating feedback channels that allow for honest reflection.
3. Lean into humility.
Humility is an antidote to ego. We see this in Jesus’ teaching too. In Matthew 23:12 he says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” One of the most powerful questions we can ask others, especially those we want to learn from, is “How can I serve you?” This opens the door to a relationship rooted in service and accountability.
4. Quickly admit mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes, but how we respond to them is what truly matters. After giving a speech, a dear friend approached me and shared how deeply hurt he was by something I had said during the presentation. His words broke my heart, and I immediately acknowledged he was right. I hadn’t even realized my misstep until he gently pointed it out. I was humbled and deeply grateful for his accountability, as it gave me the opportunity to reflect and grow.
5. Understand your unique leadership mandate.
True leadership isn’t about doing everything well. Instead, it’s about focusing on doing a few things exceptionally well. Narrow your scope. Look for ways to empower others so you can build your own capacity. This allows others to elevate their leadership skills too.
Becoming the best leader you can be takes the willingness to address blind spots. But you have to put in the work. If you’re looking for more leadership insights, watch my entire conversation with Craig Groeschel about building up great leaders on YouTube here.