Leading When Ego at the Top Is Unchecked

A chief officer is infuriated by the behavior of his egomaniacal CEO. With his coach, he explores how to be a healthy leader while reporting to a boss he doesn’t respect. Core concepts in this episode: Egomaniacs rattle our sense of self. They will not change. Worrying does not help. Be accountable for how you show up. Manage yourself. Don’t take anything personally. They’re just a piece on a chess board. Ask yourself: “Am I seeing this person clearly?” Don’t allow emotions to drive your actions. Ask yourself: “How do I want to show up?” You have choice about what you prioritize and how you react in the workplace. Resources mentioned in this episode: Crucial Conversations provides scripts and thoughts that will help you manage yourself when dealing with difficult people. Tom and host Dave Stachowiak discussed “How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk” on this episode of Coaching for Leaders. Great tools if you have a challenging boss. Before sharing your reactions in the workplace, consider the politics around you. These two episodes will get you “Leading with Political Savvy” Parts 1 and 2. Each month, there are additional tools in our monthly email. If you’d like to explore Private Coaching, reach out to Tom. tom@essentialcomm.com . This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library : Managing Yourself Leadership Perception – How You Perceive Others RELATED EPISODES 239- 5 Strategies for Dealing with Narcissists 189 - “Don’t Take Anything Personally” 245- Giving Upward Feedback 114- Gravitas 133- The Narcissist Executive Thank you, thank you, thank you for your reviews! Wishing you a year of growth and development! From The Look & Sound of Leadership team, thank you so much for listening.

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Leading When Ego at the Top Is Unchecked is an episode from The Look & Sound of Leadership by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel.

This episode is 23:25 long.

This episode was published on Jan 8, 2026.

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