HUMILITY

HUMILITY: The state or quality of being humble. 

I met two incredible individuals in the past couple of weeks, one through business and the other totally by happenstance.  It was not only their achievement’s that made them unforgettable to me, and it was only later that I realized what it was that impressed me just as much. It was their HUMILITY.  Neither of these people volunteered information about themselves.  It was only after some conversation and many questions by me, did they finally tell me a bit about themselves that they would not normally have blurted out.

The first woman I met at a restaurant in Virginia Beach while she was waiting for her take-out. During our conversation, I learned from her, that she was an Olympian Hockey player who had played on the American team for over ten years (she is retired now) and had represented USA at numerous Pan American Games and other international events. I was impressed at how casual and HUMBLE this woman was about her achievement in life. How many get to represent their country at such a high level….and for so long?

The second woman I met was at a networking event I attend on a frequent basis. Again, just during casual conversation, I learned that she had been in the military. I later learned that this young woman had been in combat and was awarded a bronze medal. She was (and is) as HUMBLE as the Olympian. Both have achieved something incredible in their lives and yet neither one of them showed an inkling of cockiness or self-righteousness! They were confident yet HUMBLE.

My encounter with these two incredible people made me think about my business and who we deal with. It made me think about the companies I admire most. It made me think about individuals who stand out the most. I realized that what they have in common with the two people I met, is that they all display HUMILITY.  The companies and the people who are most remembered by me, the ones that I would want to do business with and ultimately the ones I trust more tend to be the ones who are HUMBLE.

 One will more likely be remembered in a good light for HUMILITY rather than for over confidence and brashness. Dave Kerpen noted in his article on The Power of Humility: “no matter how smart, successful or special one is, nobody likes a braggart, and nobody likes arrogance and nobody likes cockiness”.

I will remember those two women for a long time even though my encounter with them was brief. Not just for their achievements, but also for their HUMILITY.