Ego is the Enemy
Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back. Ego Is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to history. We meet fascinating figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who all reached the highest levels of power and success by conquering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well. In an era that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of shameless self-promotion, the battle against ego must be fought on many fronts. Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, "you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you've set out to achieve."
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24recommend
44mentions
36people
2016–2026years
68% recommend23% neutral9% critical
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What Hacker News says
- The ego is the enemy.
(I recommend the book w that title by Ryan Holiday)
- It was an important lesson for me to learn. I read "Ego is the Enemy" by Ryan Holiday, which covered a lot of these thoughts, and helped me understand why I worked.
What happened later was also interesting. I rejoined the workforce, matched and then quickly surpassed the level I'd left, and did in part because I'd decided to be who I wanted to be instead of what I thought the role dictated I should be.
- For me, it started with a few books.
"Ego is the Enemy" by Ryan Holiday established a great baseline mindset to be in.
"Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when the Stakes are High" is the most applicable book. It explains in detail how other people interpret your actions, and how to approach a delicate conversation with care.
Some in person training helps; I quite enjoyed the sessions my company provided from Life Labs.
Mostly you'll learn being a good listener isn't only shutting up and letting them talk, it's also actively considering what they're saying and asking the right questions.
- I would recommend books. Psychology (Deep Work Rules, Thinking fast and slow) , sociology, theology (Buddhist, Confucianism, Tasoism, Alan Watts), Ethics and Philosophy (Stoicism, Ego is the Enemy, Bruce Lee), Communication Techniques (Non-Violent Communication, Brief)
etc, etc. Eventually, constant shared truths that you will find in all of these fields will occur to you, and you will develop an organic leadership based on grounded knowledge of yourself.
Everything else is either a band aid or supplementary, in my opinion.
- You got it. And on a more broad level, knowing better but not doing is the root of all maladies.
And brings out questions about free will, agency, self-control, volition... and more.
These days I am fond of 2 books that actually touch on this very topic: "Grit" and "Ego is the enemy".
- Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
