Humility is one of those lessons that you really can only learn through experience.
Anytime I meet another entrepreneur that has a lot of ego and not a lot of humility, I think maybe they haven’t grasped that lesson yet — which really means they haven’t grown or evolved much yet.
Let me say this: any law firm owner or entrepreneur I know who’s very, very successful also has a lot of humility. They are students, and they’ve got a mindset that understands there’s a lot they don’t know. They’ve had to evolve through the different challenges.
Business is tough. Entrepreneurship is tough. Both humble you in many ways, and if you’re feeling really good and sitting really pretty, it’s only a matter of time until you’re humbled.
That’s the nature of it — and personally, I think that’s a great thing to experience.
I’ll tell you, the law firm owners who are truly succeeding and the ones who truly succeed long term are the ones who ask the most questions, take the most notes, and look at ways in which they can improve.
They not only lean into their strengths, but they also understand where they’re not strong — and rather than focusing on improving those things and improving weaknesses, they instead surround themselves with people who are already very strong in those areas.
So if you’re not asking for help constantly and not asking questions, but you have the audacity to believe that you know how to get your organization to a place you’ve never been, then it’s only a matter of time until you’re humbled.
One of the best things you can do as a leader is find somebody who’s done it before – who’s grown a business, who’s been to the place you want to go to – and learn from their experiences and lessons.
So, to reiterate: stay humble, learn from others, and check your ego at the door because that is how you will make forward progress.
