No one likes working with the egotistical jerk. You know the feeling. You have a constant pressure to prove why you are worth their time. You walk out swearing that no matter how successful you are, you will “never become that person.”
But is that modesty actually holding you back?
How often do you find yourself in a meeting that was better suited for an e-mail? When a client is bragging about you to friends, do you get uncomfortable and try to downplay your accomplishments?
While these activities help show that you are not a braggart or arrogant, they also show your lack of value for yourself.
As a business owner, you must check your modesty at the door. Envision your schedule jam-packed, you’ll be traveling to exotic locales to meet clients, and your current client roster is made up of Fortune 500 companies.
This mindset will cause you to place more value on your time, weeding out those pointless time waster meetings. You’ll have a higher self-esteem and confidence level, and most importantly you will increase your service to your current clients.
Leave the modesty out of your dreams, as well. View yourself as the future cover person of Fast Company, Inc., and Entrepreneur magazines. Start dreaming of your brand new office that will give Google a run for its money. More importantly, dream about the revenue your business will be making and what the company looks like.
It’s easy to think of modest 5% growth year over year. Modest dreams like that will get you nowhere. Arrogant dreams of glory and what push people to become more than average.
Go ahead, try telling people you know about your dreams in a factual way. Tell them what you WILL accomplish. Then, listen to the doubts. Tell me if that doesn’t fire you up and give you some motivation.
Bold claims require bold actions to back them up, and maybe bold is exactly what your company needs.
Doug Winegardner is the CEO and Founder of Radius Media Agency.
Great points. I think overall if your mind is set on mediocrity then mediocre actions will follow. However, if your mind is set on BIG dreams then BIG actions will be the result. Great post and great reminder.