Does this sound familiar?
A good team member — a great one, even — starts to get a bit of a big ego. They stop taking criticism well. They start deflecting responsibility when something goes wrong. They seem to think they’re single-handedly keeping the company afloat.
It’s not just the trouble of leading a team member like that, which is daunting and frustrating enough. It’s also the fact that their attitude could easily rub off on the rest of the team.
So you have to make sure to nip the ego problem in the bud.
First and foremost, look at the data. Does it support their newfound attitude?
We see this in professional sports all the time. There’s a big-headed quarterback, or shooting guard, or a lead scorer who is putting up insane numbers, performing better than anyone on their team or even in the league. So they get a bit too cocky, but it’s understandable. You can see the reason in black and white.
Look at the numbers in your organization. Does this team member’s performance warrant their attitude? If not, you have an easy way to kill the problem. You simply sit them down and show them the reality: They have no business walking around like they’re a demigod. They haven’t met their quotas or contributed any significant cases to the firm in months. Maybe they had a big win a while ago, but that alone is not enough to justify the attitude.
But what happens if you look at the data and it is in their favour? Simple. Appeal to their desire to grow.
Tell them the truth: If you’re difficult to work with, if your team doesn’t like you, if they think you have too big an ego and talk down to people and their ideas, they won’t want to work with you. And if they don’t want to work with you, your progress will stagnate. Even if you somehow move up the ladder despite a lack of favourable connections, how are you going to maintain your view from the top if no one likes you enough to want to do business with you? How are you going to scale and lead when you don’t know how to negotiate?
A simple reminder and realisation like that is bound to sober them up.
They might be difficult and still demand, “I’m always right! When we argue, everyone else always ends up being wrong. They’d be better off just listening to me.”
Remind them that even if that were true, it wouldn’t matter. Growth is not about being right, but about the way you go about proving it. It’s about listening to team members and showing respect for their opinions and input, even if you disagree with them.
Business is a team sport. Ultimately, even MVPs end up holding their team back when they forget to play as a part of one. And if you’re the reason your team is losing, it won’t matter how great you can be on your own.
