Drum Roll Please. The Professions with the Most Egomaniacs Are…
If you work in certain professions, beware: Your co-workers may be egomaniacs. According to a survey of more than 380,000 workers across 480 professions released by compensation research company Payscale, 74% of private chefs, 72% of CEOs, and 65% of art directors say they are the best performer in their company.
What professions round out the top 10 with high percentages of self-important employees?
- floral designers
- bartenders
- airfield operations specialists
- plant and systems operators
- sound engineering technicians
- farmers
- ranchers
Even if you don’t work in one of these fields, there’s a high chance you’ll work with someone with a huge ego. Roughly 25% of people — across all professions — say they are the top performer in their company for jobs similar to theirs, the survey revealed.
So how do you manage an egomaniac at work? Here are some tips:
- Change your perspective. By remaining calm and diplomatic, you can stay reasonable and non-reactive. Also, make it a point to not constantly engage with this person.
- Maintain your sense of confidence. Just because the egomaniac claims he/she can walk on water, that doesn’t mean it’s true. You will have an easier time dealing with their self-appraisal if you remind yourself that you, too, are capable and highly successful.
- Avoid feeding their ego with compliments and validation. The egomaniac is actually insecure, and craves affirmation and attention. Don’t be the person he/she relies on for proof of their worth.
While you cannot control the egomaniac, you can control how you respond to these people, which will put you in a leadership category all on your own. Go forth and conquer, Pioneer. Want more tips to be a better leader? Check out Jill’s other blogs.