In Defence of Ego: When Confidence Fuels Success

A note to young professionals. In defence of ego.
Ego gets a bad wrap most of the time, and not without good reason. Excess ego can do lasting damage to the self-esteem of others.

That said, ego is a raft. It’s essential for crossing the river but once you’ve reached the other side, you have to learn to let it go. It becomes a drag.

Take for example the crucial business of cold calling. Most people lack the courage and self-belief to do it, but to the highly successful it’s a habit.

I recall once asking a very successful businessman how he overcame the natural reluctance we all have towards cold calling. Here’s what he told me:

“Far from being afraid, I actually look forward to making the call. No matter who I cold call, I believe they would benefit a great deal from hearing from me. I know a lot about our industry.”

Note, he believed himself to be an expert worth listening to; and he was more focused on what he could give rather than what he might receive from the call.

The former is the ego, the latter is the letting go.