Ego Is the Enemy: 6 key ideas
The core ideas of Ego Is the Enemy, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 6
Stay a student
Believing you already know is the fastest way to stop growing.
Seek out people who know more and accept correction. Being a perpetual student keeps you improving long after others plateau.
- IDEA 2 OF 6
Talk less, do more
Announcing plans gives you the satisfaction of achievement without the work.
Keep ambitions quiet and let the results speak.
- IDEA 3 OF 6
Make others look good
Early in a career, help the people above you succeed.
You learn their craft, earn trust and build relationships that carry you later. Ego wants credit now; patience gets more later.
- IDEA 4 OF 6
Success breeds entitlement
Winning can make you careless, arrogant and paranoid.
Keep the standards and humility that got you there, and keep learning as if you hadn't arrived.
- IDEA 5 OF 6
Failure reveals character
When things go badly, ego blames luck and other people.
Take responsibility, learn what you can and keep working. How you handle defeat matters more than the defeat itself.
- IDEA 6 OF 6
Measure by your own standard
External rewards and recognition are unreliable.
Judge yourself by whether you did your best work. If you did, the outcome is secondary.
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