Today’s tip: remove the ego

Slim Geransar
3 replies
Speaking from experience, I originally set out to start a business based on my ego. To prove to myself and others I can create something. I quickly learned that my ego will destroy the business before it even takes off. So, I did some re-aligning and shifted my mindset to winning the hearts of my users, employees (soon to be) and investors (soon to be). I embraced feedback, especially from users as I’m building this for them and not me. So I invite you to take a step back and really think about why you are creating what you are. I’ve also created a LinkedIn group called Startup Collective so that we can have topic focused virtual meetups to support encourage and challenge each other. It’s free to everyone. Link is also in my BIO https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9536231

Replies

André J
Ego is a double edged sword. it will make and break you. 😅
Chusana Prasertkul
I have to agree with @sentry_co - having a healthy dose of ego is a good thing. It indicates that you have a balanced self-view that sees both own strengths and weaknesses. The issue is when the ego is inflated. I'm glad you started this topic Slim. Ego is the driving force behind why I left my previous role as Chief of Staff. I also think that it's humanity's biggest challenge. The issue people face daily that stresses them out THE most is other people. When I was responsible for building the right culture for performance and growth, I introduced the perspective of "escape room" team. If only we can come together to work on a single mission, how great would everyday be? But I soon realised that this perspective is not adopted at top. The more traditional thinking would view teams as a sport. The drive to remain in the spotlight becomes the mission instead. In my culture, we call it 'face value'. I'm glad to hear about your journey. A book that I would recommend is "Search Inside Yourself". It was written by a former Google software engineer who designed an in-house training course to improve productivity and well-being. It's an easy read and you'll find yourself nodding along smiling at his 'jokes'. 😂 Thanks for setting up the group. I'll check it out!
@chusana great response and thanks for sharing. When ego gets in the way of a good thing then it becomes a problems. I would say it’s good to have confidence but not ego. Thanks for the book recommendation, I’ll be sure to check it out