You may have come to a point where you are performing an activity which fulfills one of your interests/passions in life. Other people quickly take notice of this happening. A certain percentage of people that notice your efforts will then want to join in support of the actions being taken. These people are not to be taken lightly. They can become substantial proponents(supporters) of your cause.
The toughest, but most important, aspect of your response to helpful/guiding individuals is to not allow their presence to make you think you are unstoppable. They are joining in to assist you, but that doesn’t give you the right to step on them on your way to success. As pointed out in a leadership book I read yesterday, one can’t succeed at the level of production until they have satisfied conditions at the more fundamental level consisting of building people/supporters/relationships. The writer mentioned that you can’t skip the relationship-building level because it will lead to the production of your passion to start breaking down.
When you feel your ego starting to take over, here are some options to take so that you stay on a smoother course:
1. Go straight back to working on your passion/craft.
2. Send that unstoppable energy straight into supporting your supporters.
3. Remind yourself that the spreading of your passion/interest has no value if others are not taking part. It might as well be hidden away from the world.
The minute that you don’t think about those that take their time out to assist in the production of your interest is the minute that the success of your interest/passion becomes more difficult to obtain.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
What if you’re the one supporting and you spot your friend’s ego taking over? Also, what was the name of the book?
You bring up a related concept there. In the case of being the supporting individual and noticing the expanding ego of the “leader”, you’ve got to point it out to them in any way you desire. If it is a valid point, they may get upset or defensive, but they will then take note of their attitude change. They will later thank you for keeping them from getting off track. About the book name, I will reply with its title and author when I am able to check on it.
Edit: I wanted to follow up in pointing out that the book Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know, by John C. Maxwell, is where the information about support and production levels came from.
I would have always thought that the correct action would be to build up your supporters, not to knock them down as this is the best way to grow your supporter base. It’s too bad that some people let their egos get in the way of what they know to be the right way to act in many situations.
Sire, yes sir, and it is very easy to let the ego run the show for a bit. It quietly waits for an opportune time when a person is weaker.