Have you noticed that people with big egos are much too busy to read your blog? much less comment on it or link to yours? Have you noticed that people with big egos might not return your call in what you believe is a timely manner? Have you noticed that people with big egos don’t really care about what you think? It’s pretty easy to recognize when someone has an ego because people with egos often make the people around them feel uncomfortable. Boy does it bug me when someone is more concerned with their ego than mine.
OK. So, why today are we onto egos? Pete Caputa started it.
Lest you think that I’m being falsely humble, I’m pretty awesome. Just ask my mother. I’m not awesome in the same way as published authors, super-smart, super successful entrepreneurs, or CEO-types and I, for sure, don’t have what these guys have.
But….you can take it to the bank….I have an ego.
That being said, when I’m selling, I need to put my ego aside. When a prospect says, “All salespeople lie.” I can’t feel it, I have to ask, “About everything?” When a prospect doesn’t make the decision as promised, I can’t read them the riot act, I have to ask, “(this is really secret stuff)”.
The point is that whoever is controlling their ego is probably also controlling the relationship.
Have you ever noticed that some people with titles can’t manage? True story.
I recently watched a manager sit through a presentation with his people. After the presentation, the manager quickly summarized his thoughts on the presentation for his subordinates, then said, “Well, I have a call.” and left. Never once asking if any of his crew had any thoughts. Why? Probably because his opinions are the only ones that mattered (to him).
When you’re managing, grow your subordinates’ egos if you want to grow their opinion of you.
Maybe when a manager sits through a presentation and then only offers their thoughts and leaves it has less to do with ego and more to do with their managment skills? Not everyone is cut out to be a manager – let alone a manager of sales people with their own egos.
Maybe.
Even though it still happens fairly often, I find it startling when I run into a manager like Rick described. Sometimes, they manage to get to very high levels, and surround themselves with “advisers” who think just like they do. Imagine how easy it would be to run an organization into the ground if everyone at the boardroom table, or in a management team meeting simply agreed with everything the boss had to say! I find it best for MY ego to sit back and enable my team to throw ideas around without worrying about how I’m going to react. They can give their opinions freely. Often, their perspectives give me a new and improved means to approach a problem or opportunity. Putting one’s ego aside is important in many disciplines beyond sales, but a sales situation is probably where it is most immediately apparent.
And sometimes it’s not so much about their ego as it is their focus. The person I believe you refer to is very self-centered – more so than ego-centric. Maybe it’s the same thing but I associate ego with the belief that someone thinks he or she is better than everyone else. I associate self-centered with conditioning to believe that the world simply revolves around them. Maybe it’s the same effect but I believe it’s a different cause.