According to Ingredients of Outliers, the first ingredient of the best leaders and high achievers is humility. While we should always practice humility, today is the day to hone in on that skill. Be Humble Day, on February 22nd every year, is a time to not boast, brag or let ego get in the way. It is a day to focus on others’ accomplishments and pat people on the back for their successes. It's a day to get right alongside your employees and remind yourself what it's like to do their job. It's a day to pick up a piece of litter, or strike up a conversation with the server and ask them how their … [Read more...]
Why a Sense of Humor Matters
From Chapter 7, "Tolerating Risk: Being a Doer, Not a Dreamer" in Ingredients of Outliers Sense of Humor/ Humility Another essential quality the successful entrepreneur must have is a sense of humor. Things will go wrong, often at the most unexpected and inopportune times. The customer who came to my hot dog stand and announced to all within earshot that I was the doctor who’d treated him in the emergency department a week earlier is a case in point. An embarrassing moment? You bet it was! But I still laugh every time I think about it. A sense of humor is what keeps an entrepreneur … [Read more...]
Thoughts on Humility
From Chapter 1 "Humility: The Root of Success" in Ingredients of Outliers FOOD FOR THOUGHT Reading and learning about others reveals the degree and the scope of their accomplishments and how they've handled both success and failure. Count the number of times in a day you find yourself telling others about your accomplishments and then work on decreasing that number. Remind yourself that having a fragile ego ultimately prevents you from taking risks and that failing to take calculated risks leads to stagnation. IN OTHER WORDS Egotism is the source and … [Read more...]
Humility
From Chapter 1 "Humility: The Root of Success," in Ingredients of Outliers Follow Me Out! Terri is a vivacious marketing and public relations expert we employed at NextCare. She and her sister Tracy are twins and give new meaning to the word “identical.”They finish each other’s sentences, laugh before the punch lines of each other’s jokes, and enjoy a sameness shared only by twins. Remarkably, they each married fighter pilots. Terri is married to Aaron, an F-16 (Viper) pilot, whose last deployment was flying lead solo with the Air Force Thunderbirds. Aaron was simply the best of the … [Read more...]
Lives Well Lead
Max Ehrmann wrote this in 1927. It's simple words and deep meaning has been the cornerstone of many "lives well lead" hopefully mine as well. The Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there … [Read more...]
Delivering Humility and Kindness
In “Ingredients of Outliers,” I share many stories about the people that I’ve encountered in my life that I believe possess characteristics of an outlier. I list off 16 different characteristics, that when combined, can turn an ordinary person into and extraordinary one. Two of these invaluable characteristics are the abilities to be humble and go above-and-beyond in everything you do. Just recently, I ran across an incredible story about a man who displayed these two traits, and ended up saving two lives. Darrian Crutcher is a Detroit mailman. He travels the same exact route every day and, … [Read more...]