No Ego

I followed up reading The Bulletproof Leader with reading No Ego. My boss at work loves Cy Wakeman and wanted the other store managers to read it. When everyone had been able to finish the book, we had a meeting specifically about leadership styles, what we took away from No Ego, and its pros and cons.

Wakeman comes from a research-based approach to leadership where she focuses on productivity within the workplace and wants to tackle the things holding a business back from continuing to grow and develop.

The biggest setback is the drama brought into the workplace. Wakeman provides different ways to solve this and has the data to prove its worth. A closed door policy over an open door stops the invitation of any employee to come in and feel like they just need to vent; at the end of the day, the root problem is not solved and animosity still exists. The biggest one is calling out the behavior in the moment. If people are gossiping, asking the employee questions that will have them stop and reflect on why they’re saying what they’re saying, its relevancy to the workplace, and what they can personally do to change and be a part of the business development will target the root of the problem, hold the employee accountable for their own behavior, and invite them to be a part of the business growth.

You will probably find very mixed reviews for her books, and it’s interesting to see who agrees and who doesn’t with this kind of leadership approach. It’s in your face, it’s a direct leadership style that includes hard conversations and diffusing situations that are subjective to the leader (this is the part that gets the arguments going in open forum review sites), and if you’re not a confrontational person, this is a leadership style that is hard to adopt. Personally, that was me as well; I was not the most confrontational leader, and maybe the difference of going from a big box company to a small family owned business is what changed my perspective. When you work for a business that you care about and want to be a part of its growth and development, you want that for everyone else who works there, too. You keep collaboration a principle, and guide your team into a mature partnership that can remain positive and excited about changes and things to come. 

No Ego is another book I’m keeping with the idea of seeing what leadership styles work and don’t. If you would like a copy, you can find it here.

9/10