Oct 18, 2016-- "There was a time when we believed self-esteem to be the royal road to flourishing...However, later studies showed that increases in self-esteem did little for our happiness or performance, but ample for our egos. Professor Roy Baumeister's work with self-esteem showed that we'd been raising a generation of narcissists who went on to wreck havoc in their lives and in their workplaces. It now appears that we'd been building the wrong kind of self-esteem -- the kind that is contingent on external factors such as social approval, success or attractiveness...However, authentic self-esteem is different. It's a feeling of worth in our abilities and qualities. As such, its not conditional upon external evaluations -- instead its an inner security that provides us with the courage to step out into the world and do the right thing...This is especially important for leaders of today." (15914 reads)