*********************************************************
It’s month one of a new year, and I’m guessing many of us have new or ongoing goals around exercise.
I wonder, though, how many of us are paying attention to our humility muscle? That’s the one connected to the self-confidence muscle which we business owners exercise regularly.
Our muscle groups work in pairs, with one shortening while another one lengthens, and if we ignore one of those muscles, we weaken the effectiveness of the entire pair.
It works the same way with the humility/self-confidence muscle pair. When we balance our self-confidence with our humility, we become stronger, more effective leaders.
John Baldoni writes in his Harvard Business Review blog that a strong self-image is practically a requirement for success, yet confidence can easily become an overbearing ego. To keep that ego in check , we need to have honest friends (to tell us the truth!), and to be aware of our shortcomings.
Notice, though (women, are you listening?), that he does not say to dwell on our shortcomings, since that becomes counter-productive and self-defeating.
Starfish ready for BIG BOLD ACTIONS!
While we do need to keep our ego in check, humility is not about down-playing our own strengths and successes or hiding our shining skills. It’s about playing up the strengths and successes of those around us, and bringing others to those same levels with us (or BEYOND us!).
Humility is equal parts confidence + goodwill + compassion, components that all lead to BIG BOLD ACTIONS – the fuel for ongoing business success.
If you haven’t used your humility muscle for a while, make sure to prevent injuries by taking the time to warm it up with some gentle stretching before going all out. It takes some time to get used to a new way of being.
Next time you go to the gym, or work, or any part of life, remember to exercise your humility muscle as much as your self-confidence muscle and get ready to experience wild success!
(Keep in mind, if you need “business exercise buddies” the Big Fish Program is here for you!)
Big Fish!
