Overstock.com has it wrong. It’s not about the “O.” It’s talking about the wrong end.
It’s all about the E.
As in EGO.
No matter what line of business or what aspect of work you are in, to be successful, you need to appeal to others’ egos.
That is one of the core principles in Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”:
Become genuinely interested in other people: People are most interested in themselves.
Talk in terms of the other person’s interests: Find the interests of others and talk about those things.
Make the other person feel important: People yearn to feel important and appreciated.
One thing stressed in Carneige’s book (and, yes, I have read it, more than once) is that you must be genuine in your dealings with others. Flattery is insincere. You must have a genunine, sincere interest in others.
Want proof that one’s ego is his/her driving force?
Why else would people put such stupid, personal stuff on the Internet? Yes, stupidity plays a part; but it’s also because they like to see themselves published. On display. They want to be famous, even if in some small way.
Examples:
> Northwestern University’s women’s soccer team. Images, though taken down from Facebook.com, were captured by BadJocks.
> You can look at the bunch of stuff posted at MySpace.com.
Yes, you can label some of the above and other examples as simple stupidity (youthful ignorance?). However, ego — and the desire to be famous, known, seen, etc. — definitely plays a big part.
So, when you are done reading my blog and go back to work, or talk with your SO, or deal with a customer, remember, it’s all about the E.
– Mike
Technorati tags: Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, MySpace, Facebook, Northwestern University, Ego
