Has this ever happened to you?
- Believing you’re the exception to the rules
- Ignoring basic business practices because you think they don’t apply to you
- Getting upset when employees mimic your behavior as if the rules don’t apply to them either
- Feeling embarrassed or defensive when your decisions are questioned
- Relying on gut reactions instead of objective data and the company pays the price for it
Believing you’re the exception doesn’t elevate you … it accelerates your downfall.
- It’s the fastest way to fail as a leader
- Trouble follows quickly
- You put your career at risk
- You put yourself, your team, and your company in danger
- You’re seen as going “off the rails” and not trustworthy
Leaders who see themselves as exempt from basic business practices inevitably create the very problems they think they’re avoiding.
This is when you must dial up your humility and dial down your ego.
The bottom line: Leaders fail fast when they believe they’re the exception to the rules. It’s the most expensive mistake they can make.
Example: Too often, these leaders don’t follow their own hiring policies because they believe they can tell who is going to be a good fit (aka intuitive hiring). Without using objective data during their hiring process, it’s predictable (and avoidable) they will experience of turnover, disengagement, customer loss, and lawsuits.
It’s Time to Get Real and Drop the Superiority Mindset
Leaders who do this strengthen their credibility, improve decision‑making, and create workplaces where people want to stay and contribute.
Remember, you can’t go back and undo business errors, repair a damaged reputation overnight, or easily recover from financial failure. But you can prevent them by setting aside your ego and being aware of how often you hold yourself as the exception to the rules.
Develop trust. Your ego can make you difficult to work with, especially if you dismiss others’ input or rely too heavily on your own instincts. When your ego (male or female) kicks in, pause. Breathe. Identify what triggered you. Then re‑enter the conversation with curiosity instead of defensiveness. This simple reset builds trust and keeps communication productive.
Grow your emotional intelligence. Your interpersonal skills may need recalibrating. If you’ve relied on your title, financial status, or the ability to push or manipulate situations or people into compliance, you’ll miss important details and then blame others when things go wrong. That pattern drives away top talent, customers, investors, and financing. Strengthening emotional intelligence helps you listen better, respond better, and lead better.
Be realistic. When you assume you’re performing better than you are, mistakes happen. Sometimes big ones that are difficult, if not impossible, to fix.
Overconfidence blinds leaders to risks such as:
- Incorrect accounting practices
- Technical issues you were warned about
- Poor hiring and management decisions
- Recurring quality problems
- Miscommunication created by employees trying to protect themselves
Staying grounded and realistic keeps you proactive instead of reactive.
Build competence. Leaders who let their ego drive their decisions often struggle with people issues, technology concerns, or financial responsibilities. Competence can be built. Skills can be learned. Job fit can be found. But only when ego steps aside. Seek out an executive coach, and hire the person now.
Ask for help. When your ego blocks delegation or collaboration, you limit your own success. Believing you’re the only one who can do something “the right way” slows progress and increases burnout. Leaders who ask for help, share responsibility, and trust others build stronger teams and better outcomes.
Your leadership grows when you set your ego aside. When you realize you are not the exception to the rules, you elevate your leadership. You make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and create a culture where people feel safe to contribute their best ideas. You also protect your reputation, your business, and your future. Great leaders aren’t defined by being the exception. They’re defined by their willingness to learn, listen, and grow.
© Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved
Jeannette Seibly is a Leadership Results Coach, Talent Advisor, and Business Author with 33 years of experience guiding leaders and executives to achieve exceptional results. She delivers practical coaching and innovative solutions for hiring, leadership development, and performance success. Successful leaders have coaches—connect with Jeannette to elevate your results and impact in 2026.
Every step in the right direction, away from the belief you are the exception to the rules, strengthens your leadership and sets the tone for your team, your company, and your legacy. Contact me. Your leadership growth starts now.