Customer Reviews

egonomics: What Makes Ego Our Greatest Asset (or Most Expensive Liability)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I read this book I had two thoughts: 1) as the leader of my company, why haven't I looked more closely, until now, at my own ego, and 2) why is it that, as the authors ask in the book, we get so protective of our egos when the topic surfaces? What are we afraid of? It's soon clear in the book that the authors have no interest in removing ego from anyone or anywhere, especially business; just better management of it.

I think everyone will find very individual answers in this work; it became clear to me the further I read that the "answers" in this book have as much to do with self-reflection and a precise self-awareness as they do for the methodologies of communication and teamwork that they purport. In terms of that awareness, for me at least, it's difficult to let go of what's worked in the past to try something new, and the authors are clearly asking us to consider a different way to work. Not unimaginable, but certainly a different "level." The three principles they focus their work on--humility, curiosity, and veracity--seemed a very solid balance to the "power of ego." The four early warning signs of mismanaged ego outline why ego gets the best of us at times.

I expected a more pure psychological read, and instead found myself comparing their writing along the lines of investigative business journalists rather than psychologists. If you're interested in the purely academic/Freudian side of ego, this isn't for you. I don't think the authors intended it for that (very much focused on the workplace). If you're looking for more of a "Blink" or "Wisdom of Crowds" POV, then this book is terrific.

Egonomic is a fresh look at a sensitive topic which is rarely addressed in business or leadership books. Most of us see the negative impact of the ego in our daily settings. Rarely is there a book which emphasizes the positive power and impact of the ego as a business resource. The organization's which leverage this valuable resource as an asset will have more positive trends on their financial results.

The first chapter presents compelling evidence from business people's estimate on how the ego negatively impacts annual revenue. It also demonstrates how the ego gives leaders confidence to demonstrate their greatest strengths, however, these same strengths can become counterfeit weakenesses. When an organization invests in our greatest strengths, it also inherits the potential of the counterfeit weaknesses as well.

What really got my attention is the statement toward the end of the first chapter which points out how "when the pervasive power of ego shakes, everything on our task list--the way we collaborate, think, decide, execute--shakes with it." How true this is. The book then goes on to objectively explore three core principles and how to ensure the ego is an asset.

I really appreciated how the three core principles of egonomics and the "deep dive" into each one provided the reader clearer understanding of how to minimize the shaking of our own egos or to recogize when someone else's ego is shaking. This books is a good read for anyone who desires to have a continual positive impact on the organization and it's business results.

David Marcum and Steve Smith may have stumbled on a perspective many ignored for its complexity and raw form. I find the ideas insightful and relevant to Leaders in many levels. It is a great discussion on EGO and its unique ability to shape the environment. Egonomics transforms a hard to tackle topic into an everyday measure of performance and business relevance.

Egonomics is an awareness of truth in Leadership.

The strength of this book lies in its explanation of the concepts that each of us has experienced in our day-to-day interactions. Much of the content we intuitively understand to be true, but the authors do an excellent job of providing research-based examples that illustrate the root causes of such behavior and what can be done to overcome, or in other cases encourage, the behavior.

All too often in teams we are unable to exceed expectations. Instead of multiplying talents to achieve superior results, we bring our team down to the lowest common denominator of each member's weaknesses. Egonomics breaks this paradigm by giving teams the tools they need to maximize effectiveness through the power of ego. You will be hard pressed to find a book with as many ah ha moments, and bent pages to mark all the items you will want to use as examples. You will find your leaders skeptical of these methods, but the dynamics of a team that uses it effectively are amazing. This book goes beyond business, and extends to how to be better in life.

Egonomics operationalizes the idea of leadership humility that Jim Collins brought out in Good To Great and presents it as a quality of strength rather than weakness. The book really uncovers the hidden costs of ego and what the alternative looks like. Each of the warning signs discussed in the book -- showcasing brilliance, being defensive, being comparative, and seeking acceptance -- I have seen many times over in my career (and been guilty of myself) and they have always gotten in the way of effectiveness. Egonomics is a must read.

I never write reviews on Amazon, but I've never been so disgusted with the quality of writing in a book as I was with "Egonomics". I'm also stunned to see the abundance of 5 star reviews, which need to be counterbalanced with reality.

I'm not an Arts major or anything, but I still like good English. And good English to me means clear and precise writing, matched with arguments that are well structured in facts and sound logic. The quality of writing in Egonomics is infuriatingly poor.

My academic background is in Science and Law, so when I see opinions expressed like statements of fact, I'm trained to look for evidence to back them up. You can't go two paragraphs in this book without finding a completely unsubstantiated claim on which the authors centre their arguments. The claims are easy to spot because most are emphasized in bolded size-14 font. They seem to think these claims are so obvious that they need no justification.

I'll quote a section of the book below which perfectly summarizes why I hate it:
"Breaking the habit of any early warning sign requires we examine beliefs that drive those behaviors. Our beliefs are based on a mathematical equation - a series of "this plus this equals this" or "if-then" logic. But the math we do in our heads doesn't always add up - the beliefs we have may be anything but true. If we can identify the faulty equations in our minds, we can break bad habits.

"There is also often a difference between what we say or do and what we're thinking or feeling. Even though we might say the right words, sometimes we feel different. While what we feel or think can be masked by the right words or actions, our intentions and feelings are always true, although not always revealed. What we or others are feeling lets us know if we're managing our ego effectively."
(page 52)

It's not just that each conclusion completely fails to follow the previous one, it's the arrogance with which they deliver it - the authors *think* they've stumbled upon something profound.

As much as I hate this book, (I threw it out before finishing it), I give it 2 stars instead of just 1 because there are a few useful nuggets of insight burried amongst the wordy nonsense. And to be fair, it's a business book, not an essay, so the standards of good writing are lower than normal. The question for you, if you're considering wasting money on this book, is whether or not you're willing to suffer through the bad writing in order to unearth the useful information.

What Jim Collins identified in Level Five Leaders in Good to Great, Egonomics investigates, dissects, and ultimately provides strategies to develop the leadership traits that make or break teams and organizations. The early chapters provide the warning signs of unhealthy ego - either too much or not enough. Later chapters explore humility and that it is actually the product of an ego in balance. And that when humility is combined with veracity and curiosity, leadership moves from mediocre to effective, from effective to extraordinary.

Egonomics is very readable guide that provides steps that can improve the effectiveness of leaders, team members, individual contributors and ultimately organizations. It will be a required read for everyone on my team.

Yes, it's true. Ego does cost and we now have research to help quantify it. I especially liked the discussion on "we then me"; so many teams could achieve greater successes if they put WE before ME. I know it worked for our teams. Thanks David and Steve for such an insightful book.

As a people strategist and coach, I am always looking for best practices and innovative ideas. Egonomics clearly fits into those categories. Dave Marcum and Steve Smith have taken one of the oldest concepts in the world and given it a practical, modern twist. Too often, an overactive ego can get in the way of peak performance (personally and organizationally). Without going too deeply into the academic background of their research, Marcum and Smith provide the foundation for coaching the people who are going into the talent pipeline of today's generation. Bottom line: Egonomics should be required reading for anyone thinking they want to be a part of the next generation of leadership.