By Assistant Chief (ret.) Jo-Ann Lorber, EFO, CFO, MPA
Think back to your college psychology class, when you learned Sigmund Freud’s three components of personality: the id, ego and superego. While this is not a refresher in psychology, it is a practical look at how ego affects leadership, especially in the fire service.
The ego is often described as the “manager” within us — the part that navigates reality and makes conscious decisions. It also shapes identity: how we see ourselves and how others see us. Outside the psychological definition, people commonly use ego to describe a person’s sense of self, self-esteem or self-importance.
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How ego grows with rank
As we rise through the ranks, we gain more authority. With that authority, people may try harder to please us — listening more attentively, agreeing more often and even laughing at our jokes. That attention feeds the ego. And when the ego is fed, it grows. Some examples:
- During a department strategy meeting, the fire chief proposes a new response protocol (SOP/SOG) that some team members privately believe is outdated or impractical. However, because of the chief’s authority and reputation, no one voices their concerns or suggests alternatives in fear of retaliation or other negative outcomes. The plan is accepted without discussion, and the chief assumes their plan was universally commended.
- Similarly, on the fireground, if the officer orders a tactic, like advancing a hoseline through a potentially unstable section of a building, firefighters may hesitate to question the direction, even if they have safety reservations.
An unchecked ego can distort perspective and twist values. When we get caught in the ego’s craving for more power, we risk losing self-control. Ego can make us more susceptible to manipulation, narrow our field of vision and influence behavior in ways that conflict with our personal values or the organization’s mission.
The operational risk of an inflated ego
Our ego is a target we carry with us. Like any target, the bigger it is, the easier it is to hit. An inflated ego craves recognition and validation. That craving can make leaders predictable. When others know what feeds that ego, they can play into it, steering decisions in ways that may be detrimental to ourselves, our friends and family, and possibly our organization.
For example, a leader motivated by reputation protection may favor vendors who flatter them or reinforce their status, rather than those offering the best value or innovative solutions. Similarly, staffing decisions might prioritize individuals who align with the leader’s personal preferences or boost their image, instead of selecting candidates based on objective qualifications and team needs. When it comes to risk tolerance, choices could be shaped by a desire to avoid embarrassment or criticism, leading to overly cautious or, conversely, reckless strategies that ignore data-driven insights.
An inflated ego can also corrupt behavior. When we believe we are the sole creators of our success, we may become dismissive, more self-centered and quicker to interrupt others, especially when facing setbacks or criticism. Over time, ego builds a defensive wall that prevents us from learning from mistakes and makes it difficult to absorb the lessons that come from failure. This not only limits personal growth, but also degrades team performance — discouraging input, delaying course correction and increasing the risk of preventable errors on the fireground and in daily operations.
Finally, ego also narrows our vision. Ego looks for information that confirms what it wants to believe, fueling confirmation bias. When that happens, we lose perspective and end up in a bubble where we mostly see and hear what we want to. The result is disconnection, from the people we lead, the culture we’re part of, and ultimately the community we serve. This can erode psychological safety, weaken feedback loops and create a compliance-driven culture where members are less willing to speak up during training, after-action reviews or even on the fireground.
Practical ways to keep ego in check
Breaking free from an inflated or overly protective ego is important and challenging work — and it requires deliberate effort. It demands self-awareness, reflection and a willingness to be challenged. Here are a few practical ways to keep your ego in check:
- Audit the perks and privileges that come with your role. Some are necessary to perform the job effectively. Others exist primarily to promote status and power. Identify which privileges you can let go of to prevent ego from taking hold.
- Surround yourself with people who will not feed your ego. Hire, promote and develop confident, capable personnel who are willing to speak up when ego begins to influence decisions.
- Practice humility and gratitude daily. At the end of each day, reflect on the people who contributed to your success and acknowledge their role. This reinforces the understanding that outcomes are rarely the result of one individual. Take it a step further by expressing that gratitude. Send a message of gratitude to at least one person who helped — this gesture strengthens relationships and helps counter ego-driven thinking.
Leadership is not static
Success — the bigger salary, the nicer office, the easy laughs — can tempt us to believe we’ve mastered leadership. But we haven’t. Leadership is about people, and people change every day. The moment we believe we’ve found a universal key to leading others, we start to lose perspective.
When ego takes hold, the consequences extend beyond the individual leader. It can limit a department’s ability to adapt, contribute to long-term cultural drift and erode credibility with both crews and the community. Ego shapes what leaders see, hear and believe — and left unchecked, it can quietly turn today’s success into tomorrow’s failure.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jo-Ann Lorber is a retired assistant fire chief. She worked for Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Fire Rescue for 28 years. Lorber holds a master’s degree in public administration, a bachelor’s degree in public management, as well as two associate degrees. She is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and was designated as a Chief Fire Officer from the Center of Public Safety Excellence. She also is a graduate of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Naval Postgraduate’s Executive Leaders Program and is a certified emergency manager.
