In part perhaps due to celebrity culture and the modern habit of enshrining self-absorption across various social media formats, there exists the idea that success is bequeathed to the loudest voice in the room. Or someone who is not afraid to walk over people to get what they want.
There’s a line of thought that believes if you attack your career with more violence somehow the process of self-actualization will be expedited. This is, if anything, a rather misplaced opinion.
Look at the many incredibly successful businessmen like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.
They, in the public eye, conduct themselves with humility and a lack of conspicuous consumption. These tend to be the people who make the real money.
People who are intelligent and assured enough that they can develop themselves and their ideas without the constant need to prove their success to anyone so much as looking in their direction.
There are some common facets of these people’s personalities that we can look at and perhaps help point ourselves to our own betterment.
One thing of note is that these people generally tend to communicate and, more importantly, listen better than people anxious to shout themselves out to the world.
Given the modern importance of networking, being a clear and conscientious communicator could reap dividends.
Overwhelming others can drive them away and reduce the playing field for cooperative engagement. Even worse, such blabbing could be used by others to exploit your progress.
Being more attentive with professional relationships is a great way to help widen the scope of your ambitions.
Modesty can also come in handy when dealing with hardships.
Every great entrepreneur usually has a sizable amount of failures left in their wake. While it’s fine to fail, you risk looking foolish if your efforts meet with bad luck after having assuredly trumpeted their genius to anyone who’ll listen.
Being less presumptuous helps you make progress quietly, and bounce back from tough times quicker.
Again, advertising your efforts too loudly could also leave you vulnerable to the machinations of your competition.
Modest people also tend to be more reserved.
This can help greatly when overcoming challenges.
If one conducts themselves with an air of confidence, they are generally thought to be much more capable of overcoming struggles and difficulties. And people will be more likely to find them trustworthy and responsible.
Silence is a virtue, especially when it comes to developing ideas.
Quiet planning usually underpins most major success stories in the entrepreneurial realm, which is hard to accomplish with a big, extroverted personality.
Modest people socialize better than loud, abrasive individuals. That’s because they tend to consider other people more and therefore better appreciate others which can often be reciprocated.
This consideration frequently extends to their employees who they treat decently and with respect.
Making an investment in people reaps dividends.
It can engender a work ethic and foster a sense of sharing a common goal better than a hundred team meetings. While generally being a more professionally desirable mode of conduct.
Modesty can also lead you to be a better investor.
Sit back and see which way the wind is blowing. More often than not you’ll be ahead of the person desperately trying to be the leader of the pack.
Modesty maybe something of a lost art, but as they say, manners make the man. And there’s no good reason why reticence and humility can be used to unlock the doors to success.
About The Author
This article was written by Anabel Cooper.