Why your pride is slowing your career advancement :: WRAL.com

Why dropping ego accelerated my career

When I worked
with Grant Williard at I-Cubed, I was strong in sales — but I was stepping into
a world defined by technical expertise, engineers, and complex systems. I
didn’t pretend to be something I wasn’t. I asked a lot of questions: What is
this? Why does it matter? What should I read? Who should I learn from?

That growth mindset
mattered. When Grant began looking for someone to take over leadership of the
company, my lack of technical credentials didn’t disqualify me. Instead, my
willingness to learn made the difference.

Admitting what I
didn’t know became an asset, because it helped me quickly fill in the gaps of
my knowledge. My professional trajectory moved fast, not because I had all the
answers, but because I was willing to learn faster than others. It felt less
like climbing stairs and more like climbing a rope. You rise quickly when
you’re not weighed down by ego.

Rapid learning requires humility

Many people
create obstacles to their own growth because they fear how it makes them look. They
don’t ask questions because they don’t want to appear uninformed, or they think
it will damage their credibility. They’d rather protect their image than build
true capability.

But if you want
to learn something new — truly learn it — you have to ask unfiltered questions.
You have to let experts teach you. You have to do the work to build real
understanding.

As successful as
I am today, my mindset hasn’t changed. I still ask questions. I still assume I can learn from anyone in
the room. I don’t need to be the smartest person there. In fact, believing you
are is one of the fastest ways to fall behind.

That mindset is
what allowed me to move across industries — technology, marketing, DEI
(diversity, equity and inclusion) consulting, leadership coaching, and
executive branding — without losing momentum. You can’t pivot if your ego
insists you already know everything.

Confidence is not ego

Many leaders get
tripped up because they confuse ego with confidence.

Confidence isn’t
pretending to know it all. Confidence is understanding your strengths so
clearly that other people’s expertise doesn’t threaten you. I know I’ll never
be the writer my creative partner Bob Batchelor is — and I don’t need to be.

My network and my
curiosity give me insights into market trends and the topics influencing business
leaders. Bob understands how to amplify my voice, so it reaches a wider
audience. The work is stronger because our talents are different and
complementary.

Ego says, I
need to protect how I look. Confidence says, I’m secure enough to learn.

Ego avoids
appearing foolish. Confidence doesn’t care, as long
as progress is made.

That difference
matters more as you gain seniority. The higher you rise, the less people will
challenge you. Without self-awareness, leaders begin to mistake silence for
agreement and deference for alignment.

What the research tells us about self-awareness

Ego and lack of self-awareness hold leaders back. If
they’re afraid to appear ignorant or not open to feedback, they can’t learn and
grow.

Research published in the Harvard Business Review reveals
that many leaders believe they are self-aware, yet fewer than 15% possess this
critical skill. As leaders gain
power and experience, they often become more confident in their own judgment — and
less likely to question their assumptions or invite alternative opinions.

That’s dangerous.

Research shows that self-awareness is
the strongest predictor of overall success for
leaders, accounting for roughly 30% of the difference between high-performing and average leaders. Leaders who
know their strengths and limitations are also more open to feedback, more adaptable, and better equipped to change their
behavior when conditions demand it.

Feedback is the
antidote to ego

If ego is the
weight, feedback is the release valve.

No one reaches
their potential without understanding what’s working, what’s not, and how
they’re being experienced by others. Self-aware leaders actively seek that
information. They don’t wait for annual reviews. They ask in real time.

·        
What should I do differently?

·        
What perspective am I missing?

·        
What new skills can help me become more effective?

They also build
networks that tell them the truth — mentors, peers, coaches, colleagues who
aren’t impressed by titles. Honest feedback isn’t always comfortable, but it’s
essential if you want to keep growing.

Confidence
includes knowing where you need to improve and taking responsibility for
closing those gaps. That’s how leaders increase their value over time — not by
defending what they already know, but by expanding what they’re capable of
doing.

Leave the ego
backpack behind

Ego doesn’t just
slow individual growth. It limits teams. It weakens decision-making. It blocks
learning in environments that demand constant adaptation.

The leaders who
continue to grow are the ones who stay curious, remain self-aware, and refuse
to let ego dictate their behavior. They understand that asking questions is not
a weakness. It’s a strategy.

If you want to
accelerate your career and climb to new professional heights, lighten the load.
Drop the ego backpack. Let self-awareness fuel your capability — and your
success will follow.

To cultivate the self-awareness that accelerates growth,
leaders need clear insight and actionable feedback. LeaderView
helps leadership teams identify strengths, surface blind spots, and build the
core competencies required to navigate change with confidence, including
self-awareness and a growth mindset. When leaders see themselves clearly, they
lead more effectively.

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