Last week, I passed a coffee shop and spotted a sign on the sidewalk promoting a gym. It boldly claimed that their workouts were “life-changing.” Now, I tend to be a healthy skeptic when it comes to anything that touts itself as “life-changing” or “revolutionary.” Whether it's a product that claims to transform you into a better version of yourself or a service that promises to change your life, I’ve learned to approach such claims with caution. After all, hindsight shows us that Google Glass, Theranos, and the Segway were all supposed to revolutionize our lives, yet they didn’t quite live up to the hype. In Theranos' case, the fallout even caused irreversible harm.
Selling a product or service, especially one that asks for a significant investment of money or time, requires vulnerability. Countless brilliant ideas remain nothing more than scribbles on a notebook page, never seeing the light of day. Yet, starting a business requires more than just a good idea. It takes confidence—hiring a team that depends on your company for their livelihood, committing countless hours to growing the business, and facing the possibility of failure. The courage to hang out your own shingle and tell the world, "This is my business," demands a certain boldness and vulnerability that not everyone is prepared to embrace.
As a CEO, I’ve had to learn how to be vulnerable when promoting both my company and myself. This doesn’t come naturally to me; I’ve had to find ways to push through discomfort and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Leading a business can be lonely at times, and it’s easy to tie a great deal of your self-worth to the success of your venture. Some of you might be thinking, "I love promoting my business, but I struggle with other areas—like accounting, inventory management, or hiring the right talent." And that’s okay! One easy way to recognize when something is going to take courage is when your mind immediately offers up three or four reasons why you don’t need to do it.
Take marketing Lennox Partners, for example. It’s tempting for me to say, “We’re doing fine, I don’t need to market our services. Business owners probably get enough promotional materials as it is.” But when I’m being honest with myself, I know that continuing to market and promote our services is vital for the future success of the company. Standing still isn’t an option.
So, here’s my challenge for you, dear reader: This week, do something that makes you feel a little vulnerable, something that makes you slightly nervous. Because if we never push beyond our comfort zones, how can we expect to grow and develop, both as leaders and as people?
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