Pride
I subscribe to John Maxwell's Leadership Wired, a monthly newsletter with great leadership articles (if you are interested, you can sign up HERE).
This month's lead article is about pride - a dangerous and deadly problem for every leader or person in the spotlight.
Pull a 10-dollar bill from your pocket, and you will see the face of Alexander Hamilton on the front. By merit of his accomplishments, Hamilton should be one of our greatest national heroes. Consider his contributions to America:Read the entire article HERE.Yet, despite displaying the greatest blend of legal, political, and financial knowledge of the founding fathers, Hamilton does not rank among the foremost heroes of our country’s history. Why? Pride. Hamilton’s self-importance and inability to take an insult alienated those around him and sabotaged his career. His ego literally killed him. Far too vain to patch up differences with fellow politician, Aaron Burr, Hamilton was shot and killed by Burr in a duel at the age of 49...
- Revolutionary War hero
- George Washington’s chief of staff by age 22
- America’s first Secretary of the Treasury
- Co-author of The Federalist Papers
- Creator of the Coast Guard
- Designer of the nation’s banking and finance system
- Architect of a system of tax collection to bring revenue to the U.S. Government
- Builder of the infrastructure for an industrial economy
There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. “Good pride” represents our dignity and self-respect. “Bad pride” is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance. When you look at the word pride, notice the middle letter is “I”. When you are full of pride on the inside, it makes you stiff, stubborn, and creates strife with others.
The Problems of PrideHow to Correct the Pride Problem
- Pride Stops Us from Building a Team.
- Pride Renders Us Unteachable.
- Pride Closes Our Mind to Feedback.
- Pride Prevents Us from Admitting Mistakes.
- Pride Keeps Us from Making Changes.
- Pride Encourages Poor Character Choices
- Pride Hinders Us from Reaching Our Potential.
- Pride Destroys Relationships.
- Pride Distorts Your Perspective on Reality
- Recognize Your Pride
- Admit Your Pride
- Express Your Gratitude
- Say Your Prayers
- Practice Serving Others
- Learn to Laugh at Yourself
Labels: john maxwell, leadership, pride
1 Comments:
very good and insight stuff. Thanks
January 31, 2007 2:57 PM
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