Articles
Published February 2009
Review: Egonomics
| Title: | Egonomics: What Makes Ego our Greatest Asset |
| Authors: | David Marcum & Steven Smith |
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| ISBN: | 978-14165-3327-6 |
Could too much or too little ego be hampering the success of your business?
In this book, authors David Marcum and Steven Smith share the results of a five year research project that explored the role of ego in the boardroom. They explore both the warning signs that ego is playing a negative role in planning and decision making as well as examples of ego playing a positive role at work.
Does the topic of ego sound like an odd tangent to explore? Consider this: the authors assert that ego drives over one-third of business decisions that will fail. What's more, 81 per cent of business executives will push their decisions through not on the merit of their idea, but through the use of persuasion or force.
For those who liked Jim Collins' book, Good to Great, Egonomics takes a deeper look at both good and bad examples of ego. The book is an easy read with some unexpected insights.
For example, when individuals were rated for their ability to solve problems and then put into different groups: a high performance group as well as a group mixed with both high and low performance problem solvers, the mixed group consistently achieved the best results.
The lesson here? We already have the people we need within our organization; success does not mean replacing our less dazzling employees with high achievers. The real test of success will depend on the abiltiy to eliminate ego-driven problems and to foster a culture of "ideal ego".
With that in mind, the best place to start is by reading Egonomics and learn first-hand the warning signs that ego-driven problems are damaging your business, as well as the signs of a healthy ego-environment.
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