How Inflated Ego Dents Your Career Success?

While talking to some of the seniors business executives who I know for years, I discovered that an inflated ego was not really harmful for high performers, the fact of the matter is is that an out-of-control ego is anything but conducive to success. There are perhaps different definitions, but typically we are referencing someone with a distorted sense of self-importance. And there are many problems come with this. First and foremost, while confidence is certainly a good thing most of the time, ego-driven individuals are often led by an unhealthy overconfidence, convinced they are right regardless of the facts.

But perhaps the bigger issue is that the senior professionals with the inflated ego are far too often seeking glory for themselves. “Me” before the company. “Me” before anyone else. These are the individuals who are obsessed with seeking glory, who want to get noticed, who want to take all the credit and that takes the focus away from where it should be — which is on building the company.

We must be very clear in our heads about the difference between EGO and the Self-Esteem. Ego has no knowledge base so it diverts attention to the self while with the Self Esteem, you know you can do something. It is confidence, will, and knowledge. When one has self-confidence, there is no need to boast or draw attention to the self. There are five practical pointers to approach things professionally– even if the ego that’s causing trouble.

1. No “I” in the “Team”

It’s interesting how those with inflated egos see the real spirit and definitions of their own of the terms “TEAM” and “TEAMWORK.” To this category of the senior executives, those definitions are flexible and can come to mean things like “I”, “me,” and “mine”. Which is why it’s good practice to emphasize group efforts and not individual victories. In the modern-day organisations, Employee of the month is replaced with Team of the month as this encourages teams.

Congratulating the team as a whole and celebrating successes rather than calling out individuals on their contributions, is a great way to take down inflated egos a notch or two. It’s a powerful and humble reminder that everyone’s efforts are vital to the success of the project, department, or overall success of the company. Those individual pats on the back are okay, and often well-deserved. Saving them for one-on-one conversations is a way to keep egos in check, Let’s avoid putting certain people on a pedestal in front of the whole team.

2. Accept Mistakes

Egocentric people are afraid of self-doubt, of being undermined, and of simply being wrong. Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, says, “The ego is very vulnerable and insecure, and it sees itself as constantly under threat. This, by the way, is the case even if the ego is outwardly very confident.” Those with inflated egos protect themselves with false pride and refusal to acknowledge information that contradicts them.

Identifying our mistakes is the key to learning how to improve, and this is especially true for attaining professional success. People who think intelligence is fixed (not flexible) are more prone to making mistakes. The more experienced people who made mistakes were less likely to learn from their mistakes because they believed they knew everything and their way of doing things was the right way. The same can be said of people with a big ego, as they tell themselves they cannot be wrong. They simply know they are right.

3. Status is NOT above Service Level

When the person sitting at the top make decisions for an organisation based on how it reflects on him/her, rather than how the business performs, then the products and services are bound to deteriorate. Being a larger-than-life character can sometimes work for a business, but often it simply smothers it. We have seen such organisations revolving around the top guy i.e. his/her personality, looks, value system (not always aligned with the company values), attire, etc. At that point, the character is under constant scrutiny.

It’s vital to put the customer first, above everything else. Apply a simple rule: Take care of your customers and your business interests are taken care of. If the person at the top or Head Of the Division / Department (HoD) has an inflated ego, he/she might ignores that sacred rule and forgets who pays for his/her lifestyle. If they play the big “alpha” boss at work for their own gratification, that is one thing, but to do the same to the people you are providing a service to simply won’t work.

4. Underestimating Challenges

The ego can have a complete disregard for reality. General George Armstrong Custer was quoted before the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876 as having said: “There are not enough Indians in the world to defeat the Seventh Cavalry.” His men, as the history books reveal, were overwhelmingly defeated.

Entrepreneurs or CEOs with huge egos often get caught out by their own rhetoric and a belief in their ability to win that (depending on the situation) can often be considered delusional. If someone says something with enough conviction over and over again, they may start believing it. But the fact is that industry, in which we are all work for, can be an unforgiving playground for people who do not have sound strategies to back up the hype and bluster.

5. Mind Your Ego

The good news is, if the person has diagnosed the issue that is potentially causing problems, he/she is already on the path to making things right. The best thing one can do as a leader and an employee is not to take negative feedback too personally. However, don’t forget that someone talking to you about it is trying to give you the benefit of the doubt and the chance to fix things.

Leaving your inflated ego at the door is, of course, the ideal scenario. There are plenty of ways to achieve this and avoid complications. Dealing with big egos can feel like the end of the world, especially when you’re unsure of how to tackle the problem. The best strategy is to address it before it actually does become unbearable — it might feel uncomfortable, but your future self will thank you. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with having boundaries and enforcing them, and no one should make you feel bad for doing so.

Final Word

While we know that growing a business requires a healthy amount of ambition, confidence and willpower, the fallout of having an inflated ego can truly affect the top and bottom line negatively – or destroy your business altogether. Leading a company to success requires many skills, some subtle, yet all attuned to reading people and situations and getting the best out of both.

Within a company, a leader defines relationships, standards, and codes of conduct. Outward facing, the business itself needs someone who can step out of him/herself to read situations and get what is going on. If the only focus is inward, on getting noticed, on being seen as the best, the true aims of the company can be lost, and the harsh reality is that people won’t like you and won’t want to build with you. Simply put, don’t get too big for your boots. As King Solomon said, “Pride comes before a fall”.

About the Author

Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder and Managing Director of Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan, Evolve HR thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders. As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.