Ego maturity is about how we make meaning of the world. It’s partly about how we see ourselves, but also about how we relate to the world.
Poor ego maturity is synonymous with ‘childish’ leaders. Those leaders who throw tantrums, are impulsive or are only in it for themselves. They may not be like this all the time, but these traits are especially evident in times of stress.
A leader with a lack of ego maturity can have serious consequences for senior teams and organisations. These include poor decision-making, unproductive relationships, low self-esteem, increased susceptibility to stress and a tendency to be overly defensive or manipulative in interactions with others.
Understanding your own stage of ego development can be transformative. Developmental psychologist, Jane Loevinger, identified the key stages of ego development. Some are typically attributed to children and others to adults. However, anyone who has been in the workplace for any length of time has probably experienced a child-level of ego maturity in adults. This would be characterised by a view that the world is against them, that the overriding objective is not to ‘get caught’ and the rejection of others who are not part of his or her ‘group’.
With greater ego maturity comes greater benefits – both personally and in our working lives. We develop the ability to synthesize ideas, to be able to tolerate ambiguity and to achieve deeper self-acceptance. All of these traits are hugely beneficial in a complex and dynamic working environment.
Today, with accurate developmental assessments, we can all understand our own current level of ego maturity. But more than that we can learn how to be more mature with our maturity. Leaders can develop new ways of looking at life, experimenting with novel behaviours and becoming more resilient and effective as a leader.
Understanding your ego maturity level
The Complete Leadership Maturity Profile helps you understand the ego maturity level you’re operating from. It can also guide you towards later levels that may be an even better place for you to operate from.
This assessment is a key way to unlock potential and develop vertically – achieving a quantum shift in mental complexity. It can be especially insightful when you are:
• Contemplating a significant job change or new role or career
• Being considered for promotion
• Leading a team that is maturing, and you want to stay ahead.
• Considering critical life decisions
• Wanting to develop more resilience
• Facing significant complexity
Scientific foundations
The concept of ego maturity – and its relevance to leaders – is well researched and validated. The Complete Leadership Maturity Profile was built in collaboration with the world’s leading expert in adult development, Susanne Cooke-Greuter. It is based on Susanne’s original questions and sentence completion methodology and also draws on the academic research of Jane Loevinger, Bill Torbert, Robert Kegan and Ken Wilber.
Your journey to greater ego maturity takes just 45 minutes
Starting your journey to greater ego maturity and a more sophisticated leadership style takes just 45 minutes with the Complete Leadership Maturity Profile. This is an assessment that not only helps you understand where you are now, it also provides crucial insights into how you can get to the maturity level you want to achieve.
Ego maturity is one of the most important underlying dynamics that shape effective leadership. It not only helps you solve today’s challenges, it helps you handle tomorrow’s with even greater ease.