GB 108: Checking Your Ego At The Door

What I want to talk about today is checking your ego at the door, especially if you’re younger, sitting in high-stakes meetings with Type A personalities who’ve accomplished a lot in their careers. If you’re younger, people will think they know more than you.

• Even if you say something and have the data to back it up, people may target it and make you look like a fool in front of everyone, but it’s important to not get in a fight over it. [00:58]
• Side-step the argument and instead focus on the agenda for the meeting and the overall objectives was a group. [01:12]
• Your job is to actually ally with the people who are targeting you as a way of protecting their turf. Find out what they want as an individual, because once you do that, it’ll be hard for them to say “screw you.” [01:22]
• It’s more about understanding what the situation is and not caring how you’re perceived in one specific meeting. Because, really, at the end of the day, you’re there because people know you’re smart. [01:44]
• It’s more about the actions you take, because your actions compound and build into something. Strutting your stuff in one meeting isn’t important. [02:00]
• Let the aggressive people be aggressive. Sit back and listen. The best entrepreneurs are the ones that listen really well. [02:14]
• Listen first and then plan what to do from there. I don’t like to speak up too quickly because I might make someone look like a fool, which instantly makes me an enemy. [02:35]
• It’s about the greater good of the group and the company, not your ego. [03:06]
• In the business world, you’ll be head and shoulders above the rest if you can check your ego at the door. [03:25]
• Sometimes it’s hard to have restraint, but it will help you more often than not. [03:32]

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