How to have a healthier sense of self-esteem without being a jerk
We live in a world that glorifies confidence and celebrates self-belief. That’s why people who toot their own horn without inhibition tend to advance their careers more often than their more modest counterparts. This, in turn, explains the prevalence of narcissistic leaders.
In most societies, individuals are more likely to succeed when they have deceived themselves into thinking they are talented when in fact they are not, rather than when they are aware of their flaws.
If you care about developing your actual talents and being more competent, it is essential to start with a proper reality check to understand your limitations. Since most people–bosses, in particular–are rarely able or willing to provide us with honest, constructive, and critical feedback on our potential, your best bet is to be self-critical and be the unequivocal and ruthless judge of your own performance and talents.
Here are some useful parameters for aligning your views with reality rather than your wishful thinking:
Michael Sauers is the Director of Logan Library in Logan, UT. Prior to this he was one of the founding staff and Technology Manager for Do Space in Omaha, NE. After earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany's School of Information Science and Policy Michael spent his first 20 years as a librarian training other librarians in technology along with time as a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, a technology consultant, and a bookseller. He has written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and has published 14 books ranging from library technology, blogging, Web design, and an index to a popular horror magazine. In his spare time, he blogs at TravelinLibrarian.info, runs The Collector's Guide to Dean Koontz website at CollectingKoontz.com, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
Unless otherwise stated, all opinions are my own and are not to be considered those of the City of Logan, UT.
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