Better's Blinkist

Rein in your ego by reminding yourself that there’s always more to learn.

This is a strategy applied by martial-arts expert Frank Shamrock. He believes that in order stay humble, fighters must not only learn from the very best and train with peers at their skill level, but should also dedicate time to training beginners. This allows fighters to see the full spectrum of skill levels in their sport, while also keeping their ego in check.

27 July, 2019 07:29 Share

"It is impossible to learn that which one thinks one already knows

27 July, 2019 07:31 Share

Pride makes us deaf to warnings and blind to things we could improve.

Proud people are very prone to becoming defensive – or even aggressive – if someone tells them they aren’t as special as they think they are, because their ego rests on this falsehood.

27 July, 2019 07:32 Share

While visiting his hometown of Boston, one of the town’s most respected figures, Cotton Mather, called out to him, shouting "Stoop! Stoop!" Franklin seemed to think he was above this gesture and ignored him, which was a foolish move – he walked straight into a low door-frame, knocking his head painfully!

27 July, 2019 07:33 Share

If we want to see past the blinkers of pride, we should consider, in every situation, how someone more humble would perceive things

27 July, 2019 07:33 Share

Keep your ego in check by learning to delegate tasks and trust your team.

Many of us tend to hoard tasks we should really be delegating. Why? Because our ego tells us that we’re the only ones who can do them right. By practicing delegation, you’ll force yourself to trust and respect the work of others. You’ll learn that other people’s time might actually be put to better use on the tasks that you used to do, and you’ll also see how useful your time can be when dedicated to new things.

27 July, 2019 07:33 Share

In his new company, he eschewed the stable top-down responsibility structures that made GM thrive. Instead, DeLorean – and his ego – had to have a say in every single decision, a dictatorial style of management that was unsustainable, to say the least. DeLorean’s endeavor eventually failed, ending in bankruptcy.

27 July, 2019 07:34 Share

We owe much of our success to others, and shouldn’t hog the praise for ourselves.

From the accountants who gave you the numbers for that winning presentation to the designer who made those striking infographics, thanking those who help you along the way will strengthen your own position. Your team will enjoy working with you and will perform better, and you’ll continue attracting new coworkers, too.

27 July, 2019 07:35 Share

When you do your best and things don’t work out, find out why so you can do better next time.

Sometimes, we don’t get a promotion or close a sure deal, even though we did our best. So how do we confront this? Rather than feeling disappointed, we can start by acknowledging the work we’ve done and recognize that we can’t always control the outcome of that work, or people’s opinions of us. An unexpected result should be welcomed as an opportunity to honestly reflect on our performance.

27 July, 2019 07:36 Share