Leadership and Ego
"Check your ego at the door."
I'm too lazy to look up whether anyone has said that before, but I'll assume it's been said. It also applies to being a leader. I watched through every episode of Scrubs last year, and I enjoyed every minute of it, but this one line from Dr. Kelso really stood out:
Now, look. Good leaders don't care about their ego. If all you want to do is get massaged, I've got the number of a girl who will take you to the mountain top.
Once you get past the weirdness of it, look deeper. This is what I heard:
First of all, leadership isn't something you're just handed, and even if you are, it's very unlikely that you will last. You have to earn leadership. You have to earn the respect of people around you so that they recognize you as a leader. That isn't to say that plenty of people become leaders every day because they are fit to lead; they just earn the recognition to lead, which is different.
However, in earning that leadership position, you need to recognize the great responsibility you have. It isn't a walk in the park once you start; it's hard-work. The moment you go on a power trip is the moment you start to lose control. Don't forget that you're leading people, whose respect you need to continue to earn. Like Dr. Kelso said, if you're expecting people to stroke your ego all the time as a leader, then maybe you aren't fit for the job. You're a servant, a facilitator, an activator, and an enabler. So go out and make things happen rather than waiting for people to come to you.