• Play Victim: “Yes, that’s true, but it’s not my fault.”
• Take Pride: “Yes, that’s true, but it’s a good thing.”
• Minimize: “It’s really not such a big deal.”
• Deny: “I don’t do that!”
• Avoid: “I don’t need this job!”
• Blame: “The problem is the people around me. I hire badly.”
• Counter: “There are lots of examples of me acting differently.”
• Attack: “I may have done this (awful thing), but you did this (other awful thing).”
• Negate: “You don’t really know anything about X.”
• Deflect: “That’s not the real issue.”
• Invalidate: “I’ve asked others and nobody agrees with the feedback.”
• Joke: “I never knew I was such a jerk.”
• Exaggerate: “This is terrible, I’m really awful.”
If you ever notice yourself saying, or thinking, any of the above, it’s a
clear sign that your ego is getting in the way of an important learning.
Write a public review