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| egonomics: What Makes Ego Our Greatest Asset (or Most Expensive Liability) | 
| Authors: David Marcum, Steven Smith
Publisher: Fireside
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $5.90
You Save: $19.10 (76%)
New (6) from $5.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 697565
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Fireside Hardcover Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6 x 0.9
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.409019
ASIN: B0017OFWGU
Publication Date: September 4, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new hardcover with DJ. GIFT Quality - no marks.
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| Customer Reviews:
what makes ego work @ work September 4, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
When I read this book I had two thoughts: 1) as the leader of my company, why haven't I looked more closely, until now, at my own ego, and 2) why is it that, as the authors ask in the book, we get so protective of our egos when the topic surfaces? What are we afraid of? It's soon clear in the book that the authors have no interest in removing ego from anyone or anywhere, especially business; just better management of it.
I think everyone will find very individual answers in this work; it became clear to me the further I read that the "answers" in this book have as much to do with self-reflection and a precise self-awareness as they do for the methodologies of communication and teamwork that they purport. In terms of that awareness, for me at least, it's difficult to let go of what's worked in the past to try something new, and the authors are clearly asking us to consider a different way to work. Not unimaginable, but certainly a different "level." The three principles they focus their work on--humility, curiosity, and veracity--seemed a very solid balance to the "power of ego." The four early warning signs of mismanaged ego outline why ego gets the best of us at times.
I expected a more pure psychological read, and instead found myself comparing their writing along the lines of investigative business journalists rather than psychologists. If you're interested in the purely academic/Freudian side of ego, this isn't for you. I don't think the authors intended it for that (very much focused on the workplace). If you're looking for more of a "Blink" or "Wisdom of Crowds" POV, then this book is terrific.
Break out performance September 4, 2007
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
All too often in teams we are unable to exceed expectations. Instead of multiplying talents to achieve superior results, we bring our team down to the lowest common denominator of each member's weaknesses. Egonomics breaks this paradigm by giving teams the tools they need to maximize effectiveness through the power of ego. You will be hard pressed to find a book with as many ah ha moments, and bent pages to mark all the items you will want to use as examples. You will find your leaders skeptical of these methods, but the dynamics of a team that uses it effectively are amazing. This book goes beyond business, and extends to how to be better in life.
A great discussion of managing ego September 4, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The strength of this book lies in its explanation of the concepts that each of us has experienced in our day-to-day interactions. Much of the content we intuitively understand to be true, but the authors do an excellent job of providing research-based examples that illustrate the root causes of such behavior and what can be done to overcome, or in other cases encourage, the behavior.
Pragmatic business book with new insights September 4, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
In Egonomics, the authors intelligently analyze what is for many managers at the same time the reason for their successes, and for their greatest failures: ego. I particularly enjoyed the section that analyzes how an over- emphasis on competition is detrimental to the team's success. I bought 100+ copies for our origination teams to read.
 look elsewhere September 3, 2007
11 out of 32 found this review helpful
If you're concerned about the comments in publisher's weekly, you might be interested in another book that explores the power of executives' confidence, and how to manage it, see "Ego Check", released by Kaplan earlier this year. Unlike Egonomics, Ego Check is based on a substantial body of theory and evidence from cognitive pscyhology on overconfidence in decision making. That theory allows the book to develop best practices for managing your ego in ways that will actually stand the test of time, providing hard dynamics that are supported by anecdotes not driven by them.
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