Titles, Power, and the Quiet Growth of Ego in Organisations
Ego Series: “The Shadow That Grows with Us”
The quiet growth of ego in organisations often starts with something that seems harmless: a title change.
In Part 1 of the Ego Series, we looked at how responsibility can inflate identity.
In Part 2, we explored how task mastery can quietly shift confidence into ego.
In Part 3, we saw how ego sometimes helps — and sometimes hurts — depending on how it’s held.
Now we zoom out to the system around us — and how titles, hierarchy, and recognition can subtly feed the ego without us realizing it.
It starts with a new title
You become “Lead.” Or “Head of.”
People start CC’ing you automatically. Meetings shift in tone when you speak. Suddenly, you’re not just someone doing the work — you’re someone whose presence means something.
The role hasn’t changed you.
But the reactions to your role might.
That’s the moment where ego starts to grow — not loudly, but structurally.
Systems that reinforce ego
Organisations often reward clarity and control. So when you get promoted or gain influence, people hesitate to challenge you. Your suggestions turn into decisions. Your questions sound like mandates.
And slowly, feedback dries up. Reflection narrows.
Your title becomes a filter — and a shield.
This isn’t about bad intentions. It’s about subtle system cues that say:
“You should know.”
“You must decide.”
“You can’t show doubt.”
That’s not leadership. That’s isolation.
Power doesn’t create ego. It reveals and accelerates it.
If ego is present, a title magnifies it. If ego is managed, a title becomes a tool — for influence, not identity.
The leaders who stay grounded are the ones who:
- Keep inviting dissent
- Don’t take the flattery too seriously
- Ask more than they tell
- Step back as often as they step forward
They don’t confuse their worth with the weight of the role.
Leadership without ego inflation
The antidote to ego-fed titles isn’t false humility.
It’s deliberate clarity:
- I hold this role, but I am not the role.
- I have influence, not superiority.
- I’m here to serve the work — not the title.
A question to leave with:
What’s something you can say or do that reminds people they can challenge you — even if your title says otherwise?
🔍 What’s one way you can invite challenge — regardless of your title? And if you’ve noticed that leadership, status, or responsibility is starting to isolate you or cloud your clarity, you’re not alone.
I work with leaders and teams to explore how ego shows up — and how to lead with more presence, awareness, and trust. If that sounds like something you need, get in touch — let’s talk.
📘 Book Recommendation
🔹 An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey
This book explores how organizations can be designed to promote growth and honesty — not ego protection. It shows what happens when people are safe to challenge hierarchy, admit flaws, and focus on development over status.
A great read if you want to build (or survive in) systems that keep titles from turning into egotraps.