Is Your Ego Killing Your Business Or Career
Ego has cost corporate America more money than any other single factor. This is caused by poor decisions, thwarted initiatives, products that have out lived their life cycle, acquisitions gone bad etc. Want more? O.K.
-New products that should never have hit the street.
-Bad products that were left on the street too long.
-Poor hiring decisions.
-The decision to terminate a good employee for no other reason than they have an ego
too.
-The unwillingness to let go of control of anything.
-Keeping decision making at the top of the corporate ladder.
-Unwillingness to delegate difficult or critical tasks.
-The desire to look good to the rest of the corporate world regardless of whether you are
making money or not.
I believe by now I should have your attention. So why is ego such a big problem in business. Donald Trump has one and he is successful.
In the classic book, Good To Great Jim Collins states, Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. Its not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed they are incredibly ambitious but their ambition is first and foremost for their institution and not herself or himself.
If you were to ask one of these executives or managers who have an - out of control ego - if their ego is out of control, guess what you will hear? You guessed it no. Why is this? Denial? Arrogance? Insecurity? Or, some other psychological or emotional need that has not been or is not being met for any number of reasons.
During my career I have watched clients make acquisitions (against my recommendations) for no other reason than ego. In almost every case these cost the organization dearly in focus, reputation not to mention profits. And, ultimately they were shut down or sold off again to some other executive with a big ego, maybe this time to someone who prides him or herself as a business savior or turn-around master!
Before I lose you, I dont want you to get the impression that ego is only an issue in the big decisions or choices made at the top. Its impact can be found day to day in many of the small and often less significant parts of an enterprise in actions and decisions made by mid-level managers and supervisors. I see the results of this every day and every where I go in my travels as a speaker and trainer.
If you have a big ego that you can admit to yourself that may be contributing to some negative outcomes or consequences for you, your department or your organization I suggest you to consider the following.
1)Your ego is not part of your DNA or genes. It is man-made and can be un-made or controlled if you choose.
2)It is better to succeed and enjoy your success with a controlled ego than it is to go down in flames with an ego that is out of control.
3)If you want to know if your ego is getting in the way of your business decisions, actions, choices or anything else. Dont ask your employees if it is, just keep a close eye on your sales results and profits from year to year.
4)You will never win them all, no matter how good you think you are. So get used to losing, if you are not already.
5)Hire a personal coach. What it costs you will be peanuts compared to the time and money you could save your organization. I accept 10 new coaching clients every year. If you want to be considered for one of the slots, give me a call.
6)Business is not about winning or looking good but serving others well.
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, Thats Life, Peace Of Mind, 91 Challenges Managers Face Today and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at http://www.timconnor.com.
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