If you think passion is the key to leadership success... think again.

TIf you think passion is the key to leadership success… think again.

We’re drawn to passionate leaders—but passion paired with egocentric bias, becomes a misleading beacon.

When ego takes the wheel, passion hits the gas. Fast.

Both are emotion-driven, and without self-awareness, they can lead to unreasoned decisions with very real consequences.

Passion is powerful. But like any power, it needs to be harnessed, not unleashed.

Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness put it well in The Passion Paradox:

“Someone with keen self-awareness is able to separate the acute euphoria of being fully immersed in a pursuit from the long-term consequences of doing so.”

So how can you harness your passion—without getting hijacked by ego?

1. Pause the performance – Check if your passion is serving the mission… or what you see in the mirror.

2. Build a sounding board – Invite challenge, not just cheerleading.

3. Zoom out – Reconnect your passion to long-term priorities, not short-term adrenaline.

Passion is fuel. Ego is friction.

Without self-awareness the spark turns to smoke.

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