{"id":219,"date":"2021-02-20T19:20:40","date_gmt":"2021-02-20T19:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allred10.com\/?p=219"},"modified":"2021-03-02T15:18:30","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T15:18:30","slug":"iii-keep-your-ego-in-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/allred10.com\/?p=219","title":{"rendered":"III. Keep Your Ego in Check"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"man-mirror0\"A lot can be learned from the ancient Greeks about ego and success.\u00a0 Even though the gods in Greek mythology were often quite capricious and vengeful, the myths teach valuable leadership principles.\u00a0 Apparently, human nature\u00a0<\/span>hasn’t<\/span><\/span>\u00a0changed all that much in the past 2,500 years.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Narcissus was a handsome young man who reveled in rejecting those who fell in love with him because of his beauty.\u00a0 He tangled with the wrong gal when he rejected the nymph, Echo.\u00a0 She prayed to Aphrodite who cursed Narcissus to fall in love with his own image.\u00a0 He wasted away with love of himself while staring at his reflection in a pond.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Although there is a bit of narcissism in all successful people, it becomes pathological when our egos demand constant attention, admiration and reinforcement from others.\u00a0 All too often, leaders of countries, non-profit organizations, businesses and the K-Mart shoe department become narcissists and everyone in their organization and their customers suffer as a result.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Some business executives have been so successful that they begin to think that anything they touch will turn to gold.\u00a0 There are certainly some upsides to having the golden touch, but as King Midas discovered, the downside can be devastating.\u00a0 Dionysus, the god of wine, granted the wish of King Midas that everything he touched would turn to gold.\u00a0 He immediately tested his golden touch and to his delight, everything did turn to gold.\u00a0 Not fully understanding all of the ramifications of his newly acquired power, King Midas touched his daughter and she also turned into gold.\u00a0 His golden touch gave him all the gold he could want, but cost him human contact. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is extremely damaging to an organization when executives begin to think of themselves as Greek gods and never stop to question their decisions, their opinions nor their virtue.\u00a0 Like Midas, everything they touch seems to turn to gold so they begin to think that they can do no wrong.\u00a0 The reality is that no executive is God, and when narcissism causes them to ignore reality, they are naturally prone to mistakes and to offense.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is fair to observe that there are many toxic individuals who own or manage very successful organizations.\u00a0 Therefore, one does not have to be an exceptional manager to get promoted or to make a lot of money.\u00a0 Having worked for and with such individuals, these are the downsides I have observed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n