Big Egos Don't Make For Great Leadership

​“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” (Matthew 20:26-28)

At the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this week, President Trump said, "You know, they rigged the second election. I had to win it. Had to win it - I needed it for my own ego."

President Trump went on to add when talking about winning the most recent election, "I would have had a bad ego for the rest of my life, now I really have a big ego. Beating these lunatics was incredible, right? What a great feeling. Winning every swing state."

Again, this said before an audience full of people who follow Jesus, the Jesus - at least according to the bible - insisted that true leaders will give up ego in favor of humility.

Then yesterday, a video was posted on the president's official Truth Social page. The majority of the video was an attack on the aforementioned election the president claims was rigged, but the end of the video included images of former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama represented as apes.

Many in our country considered this racism. I'm not here to debate that. I do know the outcry was strong enough from a broad enough swath of people groups and political parties that the video was taken down. President Trump would go on to say the video was posted by a staffer, not him, and that he was not aware of the images at the end of the video.

Last night, President Trump was asked about the video. He again explained, "I just looked at the first part... I didn't see the whole thing." The president indicated he gave the video to someone else to post and that "somebody slipped and missed a very small part."

Then the president was asked, will you issue an apology.

And the president said, "no, I didn't make a mistake."

When I think about the two most influential leaders in my life, both amazing women, one thing that stands out to me about their leadership is their humility. Their unwillingness to let ego stand in the way of their desire to guide. One way they demonstrated that: they were never afraid to say "I'm sorry" - whether it was their mistake or whether it was their team's mistake, they owned it as OUR mistake - and they were never afraid to say, "I'm sorry."

We know this about our interpersonal relationships, the power owning up to mistakes has in strengthening ties. (I will admit - in my case, this was often my personal relationship downfall).

I know this as a parent, I have discovered the leadership credibility I have gained from both of my boys when looking at them at saying, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake."

I have discovered this in my various roles of leading other people. Maybe not everyone believes you when you apologize, but everyone SURELY notices when your ego stands in the way of ever offering one.

Had the president offered an apology, would that have changed what I thought about the nature of the posted video?

No.

But I would have an added measure of respect for the president. Because when someone openly acknowledged just how much they are driven by their own ego, it is no easy thing to hand it over to humility.

It is no easy thing to say, "I" made a mistake, and I'm sorry.

“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke: 18:9-14)

(Photo generated by ChatGPT in response to prompt to represent big ego leadership and not any named individual).