Pride can lift you or sink you, and the difference usually shows up in how you react to situations and the people around you. My mother taught me early to never let things go to my head — to avoid conceit and arrogance. Good pride reflects dignity and self‑respect. Bad pride is superiority, ego, and the belief that you’re above others.
Look up quotes about pride and you’ll see the pattern: most warn against the dangers of inflated self‑importance. Bad pride clouds judgment, fractures teams, and damages relationships.
One simple test is language. Review your communications and notice how often you use “I” versus “we.” Good pride uses we — recognizing shared effort, shared responsibility, and shared accomplishment. Bad pride uses I — claiming credit, spotlight, and ownership that rarely belongs to one person alone.
At Wynn, “Wynn Employees” quickly became WE, and that single shift shaped the culture. Training focused on teamwork. Recognition emphasized collective achievement. “We” became the operating philosophy — two heads are better than one, and success is the work of many.
Leaders set this tone. Their words and actions are watched closely, and they model the behaviors others follow. When leaders use “we” to celebrate success and “I” to accept responsibility, they build trust, cohesion, and pride across the organization.
Bottom line: if you want workplace relationships to flourish, use “we” to take credit and “I” to take responsibility. That simple discipline reveals the true culture of your workplace today.
John C. Maxwell (born 1947): American author, speaker, and pastor who has written books primarily focused on leadership.
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