What are the biggest lessons you have learned in the corporate world?
I worked inside the corporate world as an employee for 18 years and then as a communication consultant for 40 years and counting. During those 58 years, I have been a player and a coach, and I learned only one inviolate, overarching principle:
Humility causes success; arrogance causes failure.
Humility, aka humbleness, meekness, modesty, and open-mindedness manifests itself in truth, enlightenment, transparency, ethics, teamwork, and similar admirable behaviors.
Humble persons demonstrate awareness of the need to face and fairly address ideas, beliefs, or viewpoints toward which they are strongly opposed and/or have not seriously considered (teamwork). They also demonstrate empathy toward and understanding of others by putting aside their own egocentricity. (respect and dignity) They avoid selective memory (truth) by thoughtfully considering and accepting, when appropriate, evidence from others that does not support their beliefs and decisions (intellectual honesty). They avoid oversimplification of complex issues and instead drill down by asking the why and how questions that discover a greater understanding of truth and morality. (ethical behavior) In short, they live with open minds and communicate openly and honestly.
Arrogance, aka aggressive assertiveness, presumptuousness, closed-mindedness, anti-teamwork manifests itself in selfishness and self-centeredness, greed, entitlement, mendacity, and similar vile behaviors.
Arrogant people are so egocentric, so wrapped up in themselves that they easily, willingly, and foolishly believe that they are omniscient and protected from errors in any part of their current and future lives. (avoidance) They do not consider the consequences of their decisions and actions simply because they are absolutely certain that they are ‘right’ (intellectual dishonesty) for themselves and, therefore, for everyone (their intellectual and moral inferiors) who may be affected. They know what is best for others and impose that biased ‘knowledge’ on anyone willing to accept it.
I have written extensively about the amazing contrasts between humble and arrogant people in my blogs (theexpressivepress.com), and in my books, especially The Power of Ethics, The Power of Dignity, Hugging a Cloud, Leadership for Profitable Sustainability, and The Beanstalk Jackpots.
