Thoughts

Ego in the ICT Sector

RichieVBoi

• 1 min read
Ego in the ICT Sector
Photo by Chang Duong / Unsplash

In a small market like Samoa, bridges burned are often gone for good. Here is how ego typically disrupts our progress:

  • Fractured Friendships: The ICT sector is small. Today’s colleague is tomorrow’s vendor or supervisor. When we prioritize being "right" over being respectful, we lose the lifelong support systems that make a career meaningful.
  • Stagnant Growth: The moment we believe we are the smartest person in the room is the moment we stop learning. In tech, that mindset is professional suicide.
  • Toxic Environments: Ego creates silos. When leaders or senior engineers refuse to listen to junior staff or peers, innovation dies, and talented people leave.

A Path Toward Humility and Success

If we want to build a sustainable, thriving digital future for Samoa, we have to shift our mindset. Here are a few ways to navigate the ICT sector with humility:

1. Listen More Than You Patch Before jumping in with a "better" solution, listen to the context. Sometimes the most efficient technical solution isn't the best human solution. True expertise is shown by understanding the problem fully before speaking.

2. Share the Credit, Own the Bugs When a project succeeds, highlight the team. When a server goes down or a deployment fails, be the first to take responsibility without blaming others. Accountability builds more respect than perfection ever will.

3. Mentor with Patience Remember that you were once the person asking "basic" questions. Sharing your knowledge doesn't make you less valuable; it makes you a leader. Your legacy in Samoa's ICT sector won't be the code you wrote, but the people you helped grow.

4. Separate Your Identity from Your Code When someone critiques your work, they aren't critiquing you. Learn to view feedback as a free upgrade to your skills rather than an attack on your character.

Final Thought

We are all working toward the same goal: a more connected and prosperous Samoa. There is enough space for everyone to succeed without stepping on others to get there. Let’s lead with service, not self-importance.