There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance.
Confidence says, “I can do this.”
Hubris says, “I cannot be wrong.”
The difference may seem small, but in business, leadership, and life, it can mean the difference between continued success and eventual downfall.
Hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence. Ironically, it often comes after success. The more successful we become, the easier it is to believe that our judgment is always right.
That is when success itself can become dangerous.
1. Success can make us stop listening.
When we are starting, we listen. We ask questions. We seek advice. We learn from our mistakes.
Then we succeed and succeed some more.
Suddenly, we begin to think we already know all the answers.
I have learned through the years that the higher you go, the more important it becomes to have people around you who are willing to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
The moment nobody disagrees with you anymore should worry you.
2. Hubris blinds us to the brutal facts.
One discipline I have always believed in is confronting the brutal facts.
Numbers don’t care about our ego.
Customers don’t care how successful we were yesterday. Neither does the
competition.
When sales are declining, customers are complaining, or good people are leaving, we cannot simply explain these things away because we have been successful before.
Past success is never a guarantee of future success.
Sometimes it even becomes an obstacle because we keep doing what worked yesterday instead of asking what must change today.
3. Stay confident, but stay humble.
Leaders need confidence. You cannot build a business if you are constantly afraid to make decisions.
But confidence must always be accompanied by humility.
After nearly three decades as an entrepreneur, I have discovered that the more experience I gain, the more I realize how much I still don’t know.
Markets change. People change. Technology changes. And sometimes, despite our experience and best efforts, we simply get things wrong.
There is nothing wrong with admitting that.
In fact, being able to say, “I was wrong,” may be one of the greatest strengths of a leader.
Final thoughts
There is an old saying that has guided me through the years:
Be nice to people on your way up because these are the same people you’ll meet on your way down.
It is as relevant today as ever.
Success should make us grateful, not arrogant.
Keep learning. Keep listening. Keep questioning yourself.
Be confident enough to make the decision, but humble enough to accept that you may be wrong.
Confidence can take you to the top. Humility can help keep you there. Hubris can bring you down.
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