A friend described what sounded like an ideal job ~ a sojourn in a crystal palace filled with brilliant minds who loved to exchange ideas. Academic credentials were not the coin of the realm, but rather the quality of thought and conversation. (Sign me up!)

There was, however, one guy who didn't share this particular ethos. The walls of his office were covered with his credentials, citations, and awards. (In DC, some people do the same thing, but they are generally supplemented, or dominated, by pictures of the occupant shaking hands with the powerful.) This practice is called building an "ego wall."

The problem with an ego wall is that it becomes a barrier to keep people out. No one talked to this guy.

The ego specializes in walls. What walls have I built that should be torn down?

11:30:41 PM    please comment []