Dual Footprints Part 4 – Kill the Ego
Dual Footprints is a multi-part blog on mentorship and this week it is either kill or be killed…by your ego.
There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and the line is our ego. One definition of ego is “self-esteem or self-image,” and another definition is “egotism; conceit; self-importance.”1 This week I am writing about the latter descriptions and how they are a barrier to growth and a hindrance to the mentoring relationship.
People who are full of themselves, braggadocious, and arrogant are difficult to mentor. Why? Because those character faults create obstacles that the mentor must try to overcome through open, honest, and frank conversations.
However, tearing down the wall of egotism and conceit is much easier when the mentee practices the Law of Awareness which states, “You have to know who you are to grow to your potential. But you have to grow in order to know who you are.”2 How do you accomplish this? By metaphorically killing conceit and arrogance before those faults destroy you. Once accomplished, the soil is turned over and the seeds of growth and development take root and sprout.
The concept of kill or be killed also applies to the mentor. If that individual is a conceited, proud, egotist, then they are building a wall that will be difficult for the mentee to overcome. Why? Because the mentor’s attitude will overshadow, intimidate, and ultimately shut down the mentee. Consequently, the mentoring relationship begins and ends on the rocky shores of failure, and possibly kills the mentee’s desire to seek another mentor.
In the Bible, Proverbs 11:2 reads, “When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.”3 Self-importance, arrogance, conceit, etc., all revolve around pride. Do you want to develop and grow? Then look down the barrel of the machine gun in the picture, kill your pride and egotism, and humble yourself so you can effectively and positively impact the lives of others.
Please reach out so we can discuss how I can help you in your personal and team growth. Also, visit my website at www.impactusleadership.com to learn more.
1Ego Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
2John C. Maxwell, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth (New York: Hachette Book Group, 2012), 19
3Proverbs 11 (NKJV) – When pride comes, then comes (blueletterbible.org)
