As a leader (or aspiring leader), at any level, it’s not okay or at least not sustainable to be “selfish ego” driven at work. Smart, professional people, with life experience, “sniff out” and detect social behaviors in a Nano-second. Think of this simple litmus test:Would a thoughtful person rather work to enrich and empower their boss or would that person rather work to advance a shared cause or Mission?

No-brainer, right?

Given this powerful standard of measurement, a clear line emerges between those behaviors that drive workers away (selfish-ego actions) and those behaviors that demonstrate you are committed to the common cause (“collective-ego” behaviors). The light illuminating this line, between motivating others toward a shared Mission and demoralizing others, shines brightest on the leader.

Our self-centered actions communicate “my reward system is more important than the reward systems of those in my charge.” Certainly people are motivated by their own, individual reward systems- whether that may be personal growth, money, recognition or making a difference in the world. Failing to satisfy the reward systems of those in your charge fails to lead.

Fusion Leadership, a leadership style I learned in my decades as co-founder and CEO of Integra Telecom , acknowledges our natural tendency to be selfish, exploring the daily decisions leaders face that tempt the selfish ego. When we lead with an increased awareness of the behavioral and cultural benefits that result from balancing our selfish ego needs with what’s best for the organization (the collective ego) we begin to “fuse” our organization together around the Mission. For example, consider the question as to whom becomes the smartest person in the room when you conduct a meeting or the question as to whom to prioritize within your organization.

When you conduct a meeting, who becomes the smartest person in the room?
After completing the largest private capital raise in Oregon’s history (according to the Oregonian newspaper), I landed some national names on my board of directors. Determined to demonstrate my executive prowess, I ran board meetings with little patience for anyone who took the discussion on an unnecessary detour. That approach almost cost me one of my most valuable executives because I tended to cut him off in board meetings. At the time I felt that his

contributions were too long winded and wandered too far from the message I wanted to deliver.

While it is important for a leader to conduct a meeting with professionalism and purpose, I came to learn that my style was partly influenced by another need. That need was for me to demonstrate my intellect and my command for the business

While it is important for a leader to conduct a meeting with professionalism and purpose,I came to learn that my style was partly influenced by another need. That need was for me to demonstrate my intellect and my command for the business. My interruptions communicated “I do not have confidence in your ability” to this key executive. In fact, that message was the opposite of how I viewed this individual. Fortunately,I came to see the truth underlying this dynamic, modified my approach, and this executive remained as a critical leader to the organization.

Who do you prioritize within your organization?
As a young CEO I fixated on positioning the right leaders in the right places and obsessed over my relationships with my investors, filling my calendar with meetings, phone calls, and emails and adding strain to my weekends. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, c-level execs and board members don’t serve customers or generate revenues. Prioritizing these peer level executives is important; however, without balance it communicates to front-line employees that “I don’t have time for you” or “the work you perform is not important” or, the worst possible message, “You come to work every Monday morning just to make me wealthier and more powerful”.

Making your front line workers a top calendaring priority says, “your work is vital” or “our Mission depends on you!” Importantly, these employees likely know the inner-workings of your organization intimately. Investing time to make our front line workers more successful became my highest priority as I matured in my CEO role. When a workforce feels connected to the Mission- amazing things happen! Workers who show up on Monday morning to advance a Mission are significantly more engaged than workers who show up on Monday morning to advance the selfish interests of their boss.

These questions as to whom you prioritize and who becomes the smartest person in the room are what Fusion Leadership describes as selfish-ego v collective-ego questions. Specifically, our selfish-ego argues for rewarding ourselves, using meetings to demonstrate our greatness. Or, our selfish ego whispers “its ok, you don’t need to spend time with your front line workers. That’s some one else’s role and not in your job description.”

These two selfish-ego v collective-ego questions are only the tip of the decision-making-iceberg among the countless selfish-ego tempting decisions a leader makes every day. For example, who owns the crisis? Or, who steps up for that challenging customer? Or, who terminates that highly visible employee who undermines our effectiveness? Or the countless other daily questions that tempt the selfish ego.

Write this simple litmus test next to your computer:Would a thoughtful person rather work to enrich and empower their boss or would that person rather work to advance a shared cause or Mission?

Then, challenge yourself to make these daily selfish-ego tempting decisions in the context of this simple test. Over time, these decisions add together to chisel out the defining elements of the culture within your team; and, when your employees join you in prioritizing the Mission, amazing results follow, placing a smile on the face of your selfish ego and your organization’s collective ego.