A quote from The Millionaire Mind, by Thomas Stanley, answered my question, “Why is humility good business?” The author interviewed an entrepreneur that owns and runs an auto junkyard. He asked the owner what made him successful.
The owner replied that at first, he got a lot of pushback from his family. he said his mother asked him, “Anyone can own a junkyard. Why did you go to college—not to own junk!”
Yet, this owner was a deca-millionaire. The author noted that many people overlook opportunities because social status and concern about appearances keep many from noticing opportunities. That led to Thomas Stanley’s quote:
Over the years, I’ve found there is a correlation between wisdom and humility. When pride clouds judgment, we miss out on opportunities. Hubris keeps us from admitting we may be wrong when we really should change course.
Humility and the Open Mind
Snobbery keeps us from exploring new things and reaching out to others. That can be mighty constricting, especially if we are writers. We never know where the next idea will come from or who can provide us with much-needed information. In short, pride stifles creativity.
Why is humility good business? Because without it, we may be tempted to write off that unbecoming person that could have been your sale just because they didn’t wear the right clothes. We may make a short-term decision that hurts one group without realizing in the long term it hurts everyone. How many businesses face costly clean-ups today because they thought dumping their waste in an underprivileged neighborhood was a viable option?
Snobs make lousy entrepreneurs because it blinds them. In our quest to maintain status, we may not realize just how profitable an auto junkyard may be. Let’s beware of our pride and snobbish behavior that leads to a closed mind. Humility opens us up to more possibilities than we may imagine.
