Book Review: No Ego

This book was recommended by one of our clients (thanks Bill). The focus is how leaders can cut the cost of workplace drama, end entitlement, and drive results; something we’re all looking for!

The opening chapters talk about the conventional wisdom which says you should have an open-door policy. This was a huge time drain and felt more like inviting people to keep their unproductive narrative going than to talk through issues and find resolutions. In her then-new role as a manager, she started asking: “What do you know for sure?” “What is your part in this?” “What are your ideas for resolving this issue?” “What are you doing to help?” As you might image, the answers were often filled with all the problems and why it was not their problem!

The next section talks about sympathy versus empathy. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone, agreeing they’re at the mercy of their circumstances. Empathy is acknowledging their suffering, then separating the suffering from reality with a call to greatness!

Ms. Wakeman refers to her research and their Reality-Based Leadership training, citing data gathered over many years of consulting. Other topics include how the Ego plays into the stories we tell ourselves and others. In a study of two groups, one group focused on how to make their own lives better; the other focused on ways they could help their patients. I’d rather work with the second group! Lots of great stuff in here. Definitely worth reading. – CMW