Sublime

point to four coping and protecting mechanisms: diligence and hard work, holding back, charm, and procrastination.1 In my own work I’ve observed three more: maintaining a low or ever-changing profile, never finishing, and self-sabotage.

It is different if you are from the middle or bottom tiers of your sector. In that case, not everyone will want to work with you, and perhaps most people won’t want to work with you, as they will be hoping for something better, whether realistically or not. If you are in this position, as many of us are, you need to think especially carefully about

Self-awareness has three components: understanding your underlying value system, identifying your innate preferences—your work style and decision-making tendencies—and being clear about your own skills and capability gaps.

So here are the essential interview questions I would ask anyone seeking a career in the expert industry:

who can put their needs on hold and continually manage their tendencies.

“If an individual has ego needs that are too high,” notes Peter Friedes, Hewitt’s managing partner, “they can be a very disruptive influence.