EGO vs. EQ: How Top Leaders Beat 8 Ego Traps with Emotional Intelligence

Ego Trap 1

Ignoring Feedback You Don’t Like

When I am hired as a coach to work with an executive, I like to start our first meeting with a question that relates to the executive’s effectiveness within the organization: How are you doing as a leader?

I want to know how the executive is doing, not as a technician or knowledge expert in his field, and not as an innovator or operations specialist, but as someone whose primary responsibility is to motivate others, create a common vision, and engage the workforce.

Most respond to my question with “Good … I think.” Then they look at me with an expression that says, “What do you know that I don’t know?” I want to smile and put them at ease because the truth is, I usually don’t have any insider information. ...