I never felt it was because of ego; rather that I have high standards that I wish to maintain. I don’t think I come across as “whiny” about them and am generally pretty accommodating in trying to help people attain them. If I can pass on good (imo) habits, then all the better, but one only has so much time and patience. Reading this makes me feel remorseful; that maybe others don’t see me as a helpful or approachable colleague, despite my intentions.
It’s definitely possible to be both humble and demanding; I’ve known many people like this (they’re often senior academics, but that may be a self-selected sample). What’s their secret?
Most workplaces make the rank ladder part of the incentive structure. Usually, the organizational structure is explicitly part of the rank system. Efforts and contributions are rewarded with higher rank, which affords the right to boss others.
People who derive their ego/rank from other sources besides the org structure can be humble in the way you describe. It's not surprising if this group intersects with senior academics.
PS: For those that didn't catch what nix23 is referring to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Don%27t_be_high-main...
It is naive to the bone, its like some high school student wrote it.
