Of the many qualities that are important for a business owner to possess, there’s one that I’ve observed to be of greater importance than many others…
A lot entrepreneurs have confidence, decisiveness, risk-tolerance, integrity, compassion, and a hard work-ethic. Just watch Shark Tank – see how many remarkable people there are out there starting businesses every day?
However, more important than just about all of those qualities, except for maybe integrity and compassion, is this…
SELF-AWARENESS
I define self-awareness this way: The ability to see yourself as you really are, instead of only seeing the best version of yourself.
I get the opportunity to rub shoulders with a lot of spectacular people. Men and women who have experienced tremendous success in a variety of different arenas and industries. I’ve noticed that all of the great ones are teachable, believe it or not. They are able to learn anything from anybody at anytime. And why are they like that do you think?
Because they are cognizant of the fact that they:
- don’t know everything
- don’t have all the answers
- aren’t the strongest person on earth
- are capable of acting unbecomingly towards others on occasion
- are FLAWED human beings who need help and feedback from others in order to grow personally and professionally
If you want to be a successful franchisee, business owner, or even parent or friend – you need to learn how to see yourself as you really are, instead of just how you want to be. And if you can’t do that, then you need to surround yourself with some strong people who can get in your face and tell you you’re wrong.
Without a self-aware leader, your business will fail, or even worse – harm the very people who helped to build it.
