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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.

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<v Speaker 1>This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host

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<v Speaker 1>Paul fella Aledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode three point forty three. Every leader battles something.

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<v Speaker 2>For some, it's indecision, for others, it's fear of failure.

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<v Speaker 2>But for many, whether they admit it or not, the

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<v Speaker 2>real enemy is ego. Not confidence, not self worth. Ego.

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<v Speaker 2>Ego is that voice in your head that tells you

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<v Speaker 2>you're the smartest person in the room, that your title

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<v Speaker 2>makes you untouchable, that admitting your wrong is weakness, and

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<v Speaker 2>asking for help is beneath you. Ego is the thing

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<v Speaker 2>that makes a leader stop listening. Ego is the thing

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<v Speaker 2>that makes a leader start talking more than they should.

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<v Speaker 2>Ego is the thing that keeps a team from speaking

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<v Speaker 2>up because they know the boss won't hear them anyway.

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<v Speaker 2>And I've seen leaders crash and burn not because they

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<v Speaker 2>weren't talented, but because they were ego driven. Let me

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<v Speaker 2>give you a real world example. A few years ago,

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<v Speaker 2>I worked alongside a department head who believed their vision

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<v Speaker 2>was flawless. They dismissed every suggestion that didn't come from

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<v Speaker 2>their own inner circle. They claimed to want feedback, but

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<v Speaker 2>only if it validated their plan, and eventually the team

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<v Speaker 2>stopped offering ideas. They disengaged, morale, tanked, talent left in

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<v Speaker 2>the department, it stalled out, and when the dust settled,

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<v Speaker 2>the post mortal wasn't about a bad product or a

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<v Speaker 2>flawed strategy. It was about a leader who couldn't get

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<v Speaker 2>out of their own way. That's the cost of ego.

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<v Speaker 2>So how do you know if ego is getting in

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<v Speaker 2>your way? Let me give you five quick warning signs

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<v Speaker 2>to look out for. Number one, you interrupt more than

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<v Speaker 2>you listen. Number two, you always need the final word.

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<v Speaker 2>Number three you treat disagreement as disrespect. Number four you

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<v Speaker 2>think your title means you're above criticism. And number five

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<v Speaker 2>you rarely say the three most important words, I was wrong.

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<v Speaker 2>If any of those hit home, don't get defensive. That's

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<v Speaker 2>your ego talking again. Instead, pause and check in with yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>Great leaders operate from humility, not ego. They know the

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<v Speaker 2>mission is bigger than them. They surround themselves with people

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<v Speaker 2>who challenge their They say, I don't know and they

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<v Speaker 2>mean it. They care more about being effective than being right.

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<v Speaker 2>Think of leaders that you admire, the ones who really

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<v Speaker 2>made an impact, and I'd bet most of them were grounded, accessible,

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<v Speaker 2>open and real. The ones who lead with ego. You

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<v Speaker 2>might remember their name, but not in the way they'd like.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a quote that I love from Ryan Holiday's book

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<v Speaker 2>Ego is the enemy. He writes, impressing people is utterly

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<v Speaker 2>different from being truly impressive. Let that sink in for

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<v Speaker 2>a minute. Ego pushes us to impress people by any

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<v Speaker 2>means necessary. Leaders pull us to be impressive through our actions,

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<v Speaker 2>our values, and how we treat others. So what's the fix?

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<v Speaker 2>Start here? Ask for feedback regularly and mean it. Don't

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<v Speaker 2>just ask your top performers or your loyal team members,

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<v Speaker 2>Ask the quiet ones, Ask the people who might be

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<v Speaker 2>afraid to speak up. Tell them you want the truth,

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<v Speaker 2>and then prove that you can handle it, and then

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<v Speaker 2>share credit like it's your job, because it is your teams.

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<v Speaker 2>Wins are never just about you. The spotlight isn't supposed

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<v Speaker 2>to live on your shoulders. You have to pass that

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<v Speaker 2>around and say I was wrong out loud. The moment

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<v Speaker 2>that a leader admits fault, they gain trust. It shows

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<v Speaker 2>the team that accountability starts at the top and let

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<v Speaker 2>other people shine. You don't have to be the loudest

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<v Speaker 2>or the smartest. You just have to be the most

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<v Speaker 2>secure and remember your why. Leadership is about service, not status.

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<v Speaker 2>Every decision, every conversation, every opportunity, ask yourself, is this

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<v Speaker 2>about the mission or is it about me? Because when

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<v Speaker 2>ego wins, everybody else loses. So here goes the thing.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're serious about being a leader worth following, it

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<v Speaker 2>starts with checking your ego at the door. Confidence yes,

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<v Speaker 2>conviction absolutely, But ego that's the real enemy. And if

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<v Speaker 2>you haven't done so, please check out my website Paulfalloalito

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<v Speaker 2>dot com. I have a section on there called free

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<v Speaker 2>Stuff where I have a ton of free leadership resources

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<v Speaker 2>for you to download, and please if you enjoy the show,

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<v Speaker 2>please share it and give it a five star review

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<v Speaker 2>on whatever podcasting platform you're listening on. This has been

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<v Speaker 2>the seven minute leadership podcast and I thank you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more Paul Fello Alito Podcasts, visit Paulfellowalito dot com.