The Mask that Eats Into the Face

The great American novelist John Updike once wrote about the ills of being a celebrity:

“Celebrity, even the modest sort that comes to writers, is an unhelpful exercise in self-consciousness. Celebrity is a mask that eats into the face. As soon as one is aware of being ‘somebody,’ to be watched and listened to with extra interest, input ceases, and the performer goes blind and deaf in his over animation. One can either see or be seen. Most of the best fiction is written out of early impressions, taken in before the writer became conscious of himself as a writer. The best seeing is done by the hunted and the hunter, the vulnerable and the hungry; the ‘successful’ writer acquires a film over his eyes. His eyes get fat. Self-importance is a thickened, occluding form of self-consciousness. The binge, the fling, the trip — all attempt to shake the film and get back under the dining room table, with a child's beautifully clear eyes.”

What Updike wrote is not only about writers, though; it pertains to all of us who face some form of celebrity status gained from our current professional position. We begin to develop a mask that fuels self-entitlement, self-importance and ego inflation. Each causes us to lose our edge and ability to make sound decisions. We don’t realize the mask is beginning to cover our entire face as we don’t have anyone willing to tell us the truth about our newly-developed personality. Our rise to importance creates the shield. It never protects us, only harms us. 

Humbleness often does not come naturally — it's not a skill on our leadership tool belt we spend time developing; yet, it might be the most important to improve. As we climb the ladder of prominence to the outside world, we need to spend time working on our ability to stay grounded inside. We worked too hard to achieve success. Now, we’ve allowed the fame to drive us, instead of the reason we succeeded in the first place: our work. When the mask becomes more important than the process of our labor, we need a humble intervention. And most often, the intervention must come from within as those around us have learned to accept and deal with it.     

Here are a few ways to remove the mask:

1. Don’t demean others. Be polite and never talk about our achievements

2. Remember your roots. Have a picture on or near your desk that serves as a reminder of where you have been

3. Credit others who have helped you grow — don’t miss a name, write them down on a piece of paper, and review often

4. Remember, success is temporary. Enjoy the moment, don’t believe it will last forever

5. Take a course in something that you want to learn about. Learning in a different area of your work creates a willingness to be receptive, which will, in turn, make you a better listener at work

Don’t fall victim to the mask. If you do, work hard to have it removed.