How Ego Can Kill Your Business

I received an email today that really got me thinking about how people can finally find the success they've been after, but then they allow their ego to take over. They become a leader and suddenly they believe people should just flock to them without thinking things through because they know they've done it... so the people around them should automatically assume that they are the person to follow if they want success.

In the email, this guy was “pissed off” because it took someone 3 weeks to decide to buy one of his books. He automatically assumed this person took three weeks because they had to think about whether or not they were willing to educate themselves. It never occurred to him that this person just may not have trusted HIM enough to buy his product. I mean, it seemed obvious enough to me that the guy was interested in his education if he was considering buying the book. He just had to get to know the author better before he trusted that the information in the book would help him.

What makes the whole situation ironic is this “guru” preaches how you need to build relationships before you can expect people to join your business or buy your products. He says that a person needs to get to know you and trust you first. Yet, his ego has developed to a point where he obviously believes that he is exempt from this rule.

I keep imagining that the guy the “guru” was referring to... and a multitude of others who have taken their time to consider buying his product... are going to read this and suddenly think, “where does this guy get off”? Honestly... how would you feel if someone made this comment about you? How does he know that you haven't been reading other books in the meantime? How does he know where your heart truly lies and how devoted you are to your business and your goals?

He doesn't... because he has decided that now that he is a “guru” he no longer has to follow his own rules. He no longer has to build relationships because he has people falling at his feet. He has become a celebrity... and everyone should just trust his word just because he's said it.

Unfortunately the world does not work like that. It doesn't matter how successful you are, how popular you are, or how much knowledge you have to share. Once you start thinking of yourself as better than others and treating people with disrespect, people will start to distrust you and will even go as far as to tell others not to buy from you. You will kill your business just as you're really getting it started.

Keep this in mind as you are building your relationships with people, growing your business, and positioning yourself as a leader. You want to be a leader people will trust... not only for your knowledge, but for your compassion and understanding of their own choices and personal circumstances.

A good rule of thumb is, if you find yourself getting angry or feeling put off by someone else's choices or actions, then you are allowing your ego to get involved. And if you start announcing in your newsletters how these people “piss you off” well... then you know your ego has taken over and you can expect your business to progress in a downward spiral from there on.