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, reside 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.
