Five traits of an egoistic manager

Self-confidence and the ability to lead others: these are definitely important characteristics of any manager. But if healthy confidence becomes too big an ego, it is a problem. This is because an egoistic manager is unable to motivate and inspire others well, and is so interested in self-presentation and their own infallibility that the productivity of the whole team suffers. Are you too egoistic? What does an egoistic manager look like? Here are five traits of a manager with too much ego.

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This list was published by the Entrepreneur.com website. 

They never say "I don't know"

An egoistic person never admits to not knowing something. On the contrary: they think they are the only one with all the right answers and consider any admission of not knowing something a sign of weakness. But this attitude creates an unhealthy atmosphere in the team that does not support employees' learning and development, and may cause significant harm in strategic decision making about the whole team.

They approve of only one working style

A manager with too much ego approves of just one working style: their own. This is why they favour team members who are similar to them and reproach those who work in a different style. A good manager should actually support diversity and also appreciate colleagues and subordinate who work hard and effectively, albeit in a different way.

They never ask for help

Cooperation is key to the success of any team. If the manager does not serve as a role model and never asks for help, it does not give the team a good signal. The problem with egoistic managers is that they regard any request for help as a sign of failure. And they apply this attitude to themselves as well as to team members.

They micro-manage

As the egoistic manager is convinced that only they are able to work efficiently and achieve good results in any given case, they usually tend to micro-manage others. The manager watches their team's every step, they mention every single mistake and do not allow employees sufficient space for their work.

They are above the team, not part of it

An egoistic manager is not a leader in the true sense of the word. They are not part of the team; they are above it. They do not provide team members with inspiration and understanding, only with authoritative leadership. Thus the potential of the whole team is not fully exploited. A good manager is a leader in the positive sense of the word: they are part of the team and support it even in the hardest of times.

 

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Article source Entrepreneur.com - website of a leading U.S. magazine for entrepreneurs
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