The Entitled and The Narcissist
Posted: August 3, 2011 Filed under: 1-on-1 Game, Management, Team Game | Tags: changing behavior, Dominance, narcissism, Programmers, sense of entitlement, Teamwork, The Entitled Programmer 4 CommentsI think we are all entitled to some basics in our working environment; to be rewarded fairly for our contributions, to work safely, to be allowed to act ethically, amongst others. There are some people who, however, hold an exaggerated sense of entitlement. They might feel they have a right to be given things which others believe should be obtained through effort. They expect favorable treatment. They can expect others to automatically comply with their wishes. Working with or managing the entitled can be demanding for colleagues and managers alike.
Where the sense of entitlement is greater we are talking about narcissism. Narcissist behaviors can be particularly difficult to deal with. From my own experience and from researching on this article I have heard many stories of the destructive impact that narcissists can have on colleagues, managers, teams and even entire businesses.
How do you recognize and deal with somebody who lives with a sense of entitlement or has a narcissistic personality disorder?
“At Least You’re Aware of Your Incompetence” (4 Stages of Learning)
Posted: February 24, 2011 Filed under: Inner Game | Tags: awarenesss, changing behavior, competence, learning, the zone Leave a comment“I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” Winston Churchill
After I gave a talk recently I was pulled aside by a colleague. He pointed out that the way I expressed one topic had the potential to put off one of the groups present. To my credit I was consciously aware of the problem during the talk but unfortunately I couldn’t stop myself.
My colleague’s response… “At least you’re aware of your incompetence!”
He didn’t mean I was generally incompetent. Instead his point was that the first step in learning is to become aware of a limitation in your knowledge or capability.
This post tackles two questions about learning. Beyond awareness of incompetence what are the stages of learning? Why can learning or changing behavior be particularly difficult?
