A little bit of ego isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can fuel ambition, put some extra fire in the belly, and help you advocate for positions or strategies you truly believe in.
The problem comes when a dash of ego becomes a towering mountain of ego, with no trace of humility and an almost total lack of self-awareness.
Those who unknowingly slide into this territory– or even worse, have permanently resided there– become convinced of the superiority of their own ideas and are unwilling to give other people’s input anything more than a perfunctory hearing. They have no awareness of how their personality, communication style, and management choices are poisoning meetings, conference calls, and the overall spirit of the team.
