One of the most powerful and often overlooked forces shaping ethical choices is ego. Ego can push safety professionals toward defensiveness, blame-shifting, or resisting feedback, all of which weaken credibility and cloud ethical judgment. On the other hand, ego also fuels confidence, conviction, and the courage to make tough calls when lives are at stake. This session unpacks the complicated relationship between ego and ethics, helping attendees see where ego serves them and where it sabotages them. We’ll look at how high-pressure environments and stress can deplete self-control, making ego-driven shortcuts more likely, and how unchecked pride or fear of failure can lead to ethical blind spots. Through practical examples, participants will explore how humility, empathy, and transparency act as counterweights to ego’s negative influence. Attendees will leave with a set of tools and frameworks they can apply immediately to their own practice: how to recognize when ego is influencing decisions, how to reframe challenges into ethical opportunities, and how to model the kind of ethical leadership that earns trust, respect, and influence across their organizations.