Ego is the Anesthesia That Deadens the Pain of Stupidity

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity. 
 
I heard this quote recently from motivational speaker, Rick Rigsby.  The statement’s impact is stunning, and applying it won’t happen unless you are willing to take a long, hard look at yourself.
 
Questions like these are helpful to get you started:
 
Have I ever been blind to my own weaknesses because of ego?
Do I devalue the opinion of others?
How responsible am I for recent career/personal setbacks?
 
When we are guilty of these things, we miss out on the wisdom of others and we cut off the ample pathways available towards growth and achieving our goals.  Being guilty of these things can also make us a pain in the butt to work/live with.
 
How can we avoid this?  How do we remove the need for this anesthesia?  Here are a few tips.
 
One:  Surround yourself with gifted, smart people from varied backgrounds.  If your team looks just like you, sounds just like you, and has done only the things that you have done, you are only enabling yourself, not propelling you or your organization forward.
 
Two:  Openly invite your team to give you feedback that is contrary to your opinion.  Yes, you are a wise team member and leader, but use your wisdom to discern the wisest courses of action after your receive feedback – not before.
 
Three:  Be willing to change courses even if it is painful.  We all know the well-worn definition of insanity:  “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result.”  Change requires change.  Ego stands in the way of change.
 
Hopefully, these tips have been helpful.  If you want to go a step further in mapping out your career/personal goals, ProSight created a planner that enables you to do this each day.
 
The planner works like this.  It breaks each day into 3-hour segments to help you fuel up and power down.  But even better, it helps you figure out how to approach each part of your day. 
 
Pick up a Streamlining Planner, and transform your day.
 
 
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Gordon Duncan is the CEO/Consultant of ProSight Success.  He has worked in the eye care industry for nearly 20 years.  He has consulted in the medical field, manufacturing, accounting, and many other disciplines.  You can contact him at gordon@jgordonduncan.com
 
ProSight offers a host of resources for the optometric and small business field.  You can find front desk training at our Front Desk Academy.  Additional resources can be found below:
 
Digital ProSight Success System
Paperback ProSight Success System
 
And our best value:  the ProSight Success Workbook that includes a digital copy and a free hour of consulting.

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