How do you work with people who have giant egos?

Anonymous

August 7,2022 at 3:38PM UTC

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How do you work with people who have giant egos?

I am working with a guy who believes he is God's gift to the marketing department. I typically just don't engage with "personalities" and keep work front and center, but he's someone I have to work closely with. His attitude of being so much smarter and better than everyone grates on my nerves.

Can anyone share how they've dealt with these types successfully?

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AnonymousAugust 7,2022 at 4:24PM UTC
just don’t feed into their ego. And when they start making things about them learn to pivot the conversation to something else. It doesn’t always work, but eventually it will start to get them to realize that you really don’t care about the new car they just bought
Robin LampertAugust 7,2022 at 6:58PM UTC
This doesn't really answer your question, but you may find this article relevant: "Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?". Harvard Business Review. By Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. August 22, 2013.
Apparently there's also a related book and TED talk.
https://hbr.org/2013/08/why-do-so-many-incompetent-men?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=LinkedIn&tpcc=orgsocial_edit
Jackie GhedineAugust 8,2022 at 1:30PM UTC
When dealing with an ego centric co-worker, it's best to learn detachment techniques so his actions don't cause you to react. His narcissistic personality will be fueled by those reactions he gets, by putting you down and by having you feel diminished.
AnonymousAugust 9,2022 at 3:33PM UTC
Agree with keeping work focused. With people I feel are conceited, I generally thank them for their perspective and sometimes make small talk about things they like to help them feel like they got attention. Sometimes what looks egocentric is a person trying to show confidence since certainty is unfortunately demanded from people.