The Role of Ego in Personal and Business Success
The ego is the false identity of self-construction which makes us believe in our own abilities personality and talents. It is a part of our nature which is active and dynamic manifesting our daily character and behavior. Having thoughts which relate to what an individual believes in, helps in enhancing and building their ego. It is essential in the formation, reinforcement, and development of self-image and self-esteem when it is appropriately managed. These self-constructs can often be destructive, leading people to unnecessary anger and outburst which is detrimental in the long run. Ego is a personality trait which is boastful and loud creating in individuals an open and obvious pretense of bravery making their eyes blocked from the reality (Warmerdam). Ego, therefore, play an essential role in defining people’s successes or failures in business.
Ego and Success in Business
Ego can lead to successes in business and life among individuals who firmly believe in themselves and focus on their goal. Business people who have an unshakable sense of personal belief and self- direction do not have the time to listen to advice from others. They only trust and follow their egos, which make them do whatever they want to succeed. An example is a boss who seems to be doing a lot of things incorrectly in the workplace, by just giving orders. They, however, are unwilling to be corrected because their business is offering the required services to customers, and the company thrives as always. These people often succeed because of their egocentrism. The problem, however, arises because ego is short lived and only seeks to enjoy short-term success (Haden).
The Pitfall of Excessive Ego
Being overly confident about personal abilities and capabilities is a sure road to failure. People with such egos rarely accept correction or assistance from anyone else because they depend on their strength and do not want to be outsmarted. It, therefore, means that their management team will consist of people whom they view as incapable, to avoid competition. It will eventually lead to failure for lack of new innovative minds and pooling of thoughts in the business. Egocentric entrepreneurs are blinded by success making them rush over the important market analysis process. They will, thus, be unable to see or predict a problem in the brand they offer, making them use wrong business model eventually leading to failure. The weak-willed entrepreneurs who tend to suppress their egocentric power are also likely to fail because they cannot express themselves as it is supposed to be. Insecurities make them be swayed and cheated easily by the crowd leading to their downfall.
Business Model and Failure
When business models fail, it leads to automatic fall of the entire business because it will no longer be relevant to the customers. Possible reasons for the failure of the business models include; inability to realize the product-market fit in that the business is trying to solve a need which the customers do not associate with at all. Under no circumstance can a business model thrive where it does not meet customers’ requirements. Focusing too much on the product, services or features rather than people can result in the development of unviable models, which also leads to its failure (Benson).
Conclusion
A negative portrayal of ego does not mean it is entirely wrong because it is an essential part of the brain which keeps us in check and makes us do the things we want to do. Ego enhances our self -image and self-worth leading us to a path of success. Assuring oneself of own capabilities and skills, and believing in them will ensure that we achieve set goals. The desired need, when pursued with passion, will eventually turn into reality. It is, however, essential to control the desires of the ego to prevent failure.
Works Cited
Benson, Garner. "4 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Business Model." 1 September 2014. Strategyzer .
http://blog.strategyzer.com/posts/2014/9/01/4-mistakes-that-can-kill-your-business-model. 15 February 2018.
Haden, Jeff. "This 1 Word Can Be the Difference Between Incredible Success and Devastating Failure." 15 November 2017. Inc.
https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-ego-can-make-difference-between-incredible-success-failure.html. 15 February 2018.
Warmerdam, Gary van. "What is the Ego?" 26 February 2013. Pathway to Happinness .
https://www.pathwaytohappiness.com/happiness/2013/02/26/what-is-the-ego/. 15 February 2018.
