Have enough ego to believe you earned a seat at the table. By “enough ego,” I mean grounded confidence, not inflated importance.
Have enough humility to remember you didn’t arrive on your own.
Too little ego shrinks you. Too much ego blinds you.
Too Little Ego
You earned a seat. Don’t act like an intruder.
With too little ego, you…
- Silence yourself.
- Apologize for speaking.
- Defer when you should contribute.
- Wait for permission.
- Assume everyone knows more than you.
Humility is having a realistic view of yourself.
Your experience matters. Your perspective has value. Your questions might change the conversation.
Sit up. Speak clearly. Contribute. Make room for your own mistakes.
Too Much Ego
You earned a seat at the table. Don’t act like you own the table.
With a big ego, you…
- Blab on and on.
- Defend instead of explore.
- Confuse position with superiority.
- Dismiss inexperienced people.
- Need to be the smartest person in the room.
Ryan Holiday describes destructive ego as a sense of importance that exceeds your competence.
Confidence sees reality. Ego distorts it.
A Seat at the Table
Healthy ego says:
- “I belong here.”
- “I have something to contribute.”
- “I can handle disagreement.”
- “I don’t need everyone’s approval.”
Right-sized ego says:
- “I could be wrong.”
- “Someone else knows more.”
- “My title doesn’t make my ideas right.”
- “I’m here to serve the conversation, not control it.”
Don’t crawl under the table. Don’t stand on it. Take your seat at it.
You don’t need to prove you belong. You need to contribute like you do.
What helps people contribute confidently without becoming arrogant?
10 Signs Ego Hinders Your Success – Leadership Freak
