How Ego Undermined my Potential

Ego is a powerful force. It can drive us to achieve great things, but it can also lead us to make poor decisions and damage our relationships. For leaders, ego can be especially destructive.

Here are some of the ways ego can harmed my professional growth:

• Ego prevent leaders from taking action. When leaders are afraid of failure or rejection, they may avoid taking risks or making decisions. This can lead to missed opportunities and stagnation. Salespeople won't make calls if their ego is in the way.
• Ego can lead to a lack of self-awareness. Professionals with big egos may not be aware of their own weaknesses or blind spots. I didn't reflect enought about my weaknesses, or that I needed help and this lead to poor decision-making and a failure to learn from mistakes.
• After several "wins" in a row, I was unwilling to listen to others. And, your team can sniff this out pretty quick. This keeps the valuable feedback or suggestions everyone needs. If a lingering problem, the result is a lack of collaboration and teamwork.
• Ego can lead to micromanagement. I was challenged in letting things go and constantly trying to control every aspect of a project or task. The problem is this is frustrating and demoralizing to you AND team members. And, without others having the opportunity to grow and sometimes fail, your business will never scale.
• Ego makes you less empathetic. If it's all about me, you relationships with team members, customers, and other stakeholders will never be optimized.
• Ego made me resistant to change and less accepting of new ideas and perspectives. This can lead to missed opportunities and a failure to innovate.

Self confidence and drive is essential to be successful in your industry. However, if it grows into ego, the window for your best self can close.

I wish you every success in managing yourself! For some of us...it's a full time gig.