The Importance of Pride vs. Modesty for COOs

Jan 14, 2021 | 0 comments

When a COO envisions their future and the future of their company as a whole they often downplay their potential success. This is to avoid the chance of coming off as conceited or pompous and to maintain a sense of modesty. You don’t always need to downplay your success, though!

Being a good COO is a delicate balance of pride and modesty for sure. You might put together a vision where you see yourself swimming in success. Your speaking calendar will be full and your roster of clients might have grown including some fantastic ones that you’ve been wanting for years. Even your home life might be balanced and good. This is all stuff to be proud of even if talking about it does seem like a lot of bravado. So why is it important to take pride in your big dreams?

They Affect Your Goals

Having big dreams often means you’ll set lofty goals. Lofty goals ensure success, even if you don’t quite achieve them. How can that be true, you might ask. How can success happen if you don’t achieve your goals? Here’s how:

Picture yourself as a COO or CEO or any sort of business leader you are or want to be. You’re in a sparkling, modern new office or you see your image on the cover of Fast Company. You’ve set the bar pretty high for yourself, which means you’ll need to work hard to get there and you know it. You might fall short, even the best COOs do at times, but undoubtedly the effort you put into trying to make these visions reality will have you moving in a positive direction.

For example, what’s the benefit of thinking of your company growing by a steady 10% a year? How does envisioning a future where you’ve hired ten new employees help you? Huge goals make you work harder no matter if you achieve them or not. The bigger they are, the more you’re going to have to work.

Optimism in the Near Impossible

Some people might call grand visions of success egotistical, especially for COOs. Don’t see it that way. Instead, look to it as confident optimism. Near impossible is a whole lot different than something actually being impossible. You just have to work, work, work.

Some people are always going to look at your near impossible goals as a COO and call you delusional. Instead of being frustrated by their doubt in you, be motivated by it. Let it drive you to work harder to succeed to prove them wrong.

Do you think Steve Jobs let modesty temper the vision he set out for Apple? He was famous for sharing his far-out views and then creating an environment where achieving them was the only option. Engineers or managers that thought his ideas were unattainable just didn’t last. If you, as a leader, are going to dream big, then make sure everyone is on board.

So forget humility. You need to pump yourself up in your own Vivid Vision. If you aren’t going to do it then who will?

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2017 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Written By Cameron Herold

Written By Cameron Herold

Cameron Herold is known around the world as THE CEO WHISPERER. He is the mastermind behind hundreds of company's exponential growth. Cameron's built a dynamic consultancy: his current clients include a "Big 4" wireless carrier and a monarchy. What do his clients say they like most about him? He isn't a theory guy they like that Cameron speaks only from experience. He earned his reputation as the CEO Whisperer by guiding his clients to double their profit and double their revenue in just three years or less. Cameron is a top-rated international speaker and has been paid to speak in 26 countries. He is also the top-rated lecturer at EO/MIT's Entrepreneurial Masters Program and a powerful and effective speaker at Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer leadership events around the world.

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