When we define ego as self-centeredness, ego-based leaders are motivated by doing everything for their own advantage. Others are means to their end, tools of their trade. What others want and feel is only important when it serves the leader. Ego-based employees work hard for ego-based leaders because they assume the exchange of protection for loyalty.
Innovation happens in spite of ego-based leadership, and at high costs. Ego is a very constricting consciousness that has little to no capacity for discovering new possibilities. It is a chronically anxious space that thrives on protecting the status quo.
If you want to be an innovative leader, you must become a leader that transcends ego.