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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.