The global zeitgeist seems to be roiling with strong elements of egoistic fervor at the moment. Readers who are concerned with this trend may wish to consult “Ego Is the Enemy” for an alternative perspective, and perhaps even an antidote.
Author Ryan Holiday, not yet 30 years old, already has served as a high-profile talent management exec, marketing director for a North American clothing manufacturer/retailer, and author of five books. In this first decade of his career he has experienced meteoric success, but he’s also been involved with enterprises that have crashed and burned. These experiences have given him intimate access to hubris, power and self-destructive behavior. In this book, he shares what he’s learned.
“Ego Is the Enemy” gets back to the basics – way back, to the wisdom of philosophers and strategists like Aristotle, Seneca and Genghis Khan. But it also investigates the life experiences of an array of American political figures, athletes and industrial tycoons, past and present. Holiday uses their examples, both good and bad, to build his argument that aspiration and dedication, tempered with humility, are a better way to build toward meaningful success than is no-holds-barred pursuit of an obsession.
Holiday demonstrates that people who cling to their own self-importance tend not only to magnify their defeats but also hamper their ability to learn from their mistakes.
This freewheeling book is packed with assertive lessons and ideas. It seems a bit serendipitous to encounter references to Malcolm X, Francis Scott Key and Ian Fleming all on the same page. But it’s even more disconcerting when Holiday uses William Tecumseh Sherman – the Union General who conducted a scorched-earth campaign through the South during the Civil War, and directed harsh military campaigns against the Plains Indians later on – as a model for restraint and prudence.
Final verdict: “Ego Is the Enemy” is worth reading, but don’t check your own hard-earned knowledge and experience at the door.
Barbara Lloyd McMichael is our ground reporter in South King County, Wash., and author of the syndicated book review column “The Bookmonger.” Her PR for People® Book Review is written exclusively for The Connector.
PR for People®
Book Review
by Barbara Lloyd McMichael
Ego Is the Enemy – Ryan Holiday
Portfolio – 256 pp - $25