Ego vs. outcome: which one is driving your decisions?

Hey,

As freelancers or creative professionals, we all face situations where we need to make decisions that will impact our careers and businesses.

One of the biggest challenges in making these decisions is ensuring that our egos do not get in the way of making the best choice for our business. Ego can be defined as a person's sense of self-importance or self-esteem, which can often lead us down a path where our decisions are based on personal gain rather than what is best for our clients.

In this post, we'll explore the difference between ego and outcome and how you can identify which one is driving your decisions.

Ego-Based Decisions

Ego-based decisions are those that prioritise the needs and desires of the individual over the outcome.

These decisions often arise when we feel the need to prove ourselves or make a name for ourselves within our industry. While it’s essential to have a strong sense of self-worth and belief in our abilities, it's important to understand that ego-based decisions may not always be the best decision for our clients or our business. Ego can often cloud our judgement and lead us to make decisions driven by personal gain rather than the needs of our clients.

Outcome-Based Decisions

Outcome-based decisions focus on the result or impact a decision will have rather than how it will benefit the individual.

These decisions are made with the intent of achieving the best possible outcome for our clients, our business, or both. Outcome-based decisions require an understanding of the larger picture and long-term goals and often require putting our personal desires and ego aside to achieve the desired outcome. Making outcome-based decisions can be challenging, but in the long run, they lead to more significant success and personal satisfaction than ego-based decisions.

Identifying the driving force

It is often difficult to recognise the difference between an ego-based decision and an outcome-based decision, especially when the two can be so closely intertwined.

To identify the driving force behind your decision, ask yourself a series of questions, such as:

• Am I basing my decision on what will benefit me personally or what is best for my client?
• Am I considering the long-term impact of this decision or focusing on short-term gains?
• Am I making this decision out of fear of failure or with the confidence that it will lead to success for my client and business?
  

In conclusion, as a freelancer or creative professional, it's important to develop an awareness of how ego can impact our decision-making processes.

By focusing on outcome-based decisions, we can make choices that benefit our clients and business while also achieving personal fulfilment, which leads to more significant success. Remember that making outcome-based decisions is a process that requires practice, patience, and the ability to set our egos aside.

By identifying the driving force behind our decisions, we can continue to grow and succeed in our careers while providing our clients with the best results possible.

Thanks for reading!
—Gary