It is one thing to toot your own horn; it is another to try to play every instrument in the orchestra on your own behalf.
I have a business associate, who, if you spend any amount of time with him, will start telling you about how wonderful he is at everything he does. I have actually heard him make the claim that if it weren’t for him, nothing in his company would get done. On the grand scale of things, his company is not large but there are several departments with a total number of employees of over 100. I am sure many of these people appreciate that opinion of them.
After a meeting recently, I gave the following comment based on his behavior during the meeting.
“If you listen to Jim (not his real name) long enough, he will tell you how he created the heaven and earth in 6 days. He rested on the 7th, because he finished ahead of schedule and under budget.”
Do you know anyone like this? I know many although “Jim” is the worst of the people I’ve dealt with on a regular basis.
To clarify, “Jim” is good at what he does. He has made himself and others lots of money. I believe he has some ethical issues and he has a problem following company procedures that he holds everyone else to when it suits him. And while he is good, there are others who are better. I feel his ego has hindered his successes from being even greater. There are many rich and successful people who have big egos and high opinions of themselves but they work with it instead of allowing it to get in the way.
As I mentioned earlier, “Jim” does not do a very good job of sharing the credit with others. I feel this has created a lack of loyalty among those that work for and with him. Sure, he will spread some praise around on occasion, but again, it is usually to gain some benefit for him.
I have no problem with “tooting your own horn.” I believe you need to have self-confidence and I believe it is okay to tell others about your skills and abilities. I even believe the old axiom, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s a fact” is okay. However, humility has to be part of the equation somewhere. If you have a talent or skill that you developed or came naturally, it is still a blessing and you need to be thankful that you have been allowed to have it during your short time on this earth.
Here is to “tooting your own horn” but keeping it in tune and not trying to play every instrument in the band!
Keep Smilin’!
© 2009 Eddy Seegers
Do you need a speaker for a company meeting or seminar? Send me an email to this address: Click_here
Are you interested in making money while helping others and yourself live a healthier life, check out my site at this link. Health_and_Wealth
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
A look at lessons learned and observations made about life in general. Hopefully, helping others learn from my observations, victories, and yes, the mistakes I have made in my life.
Posts
If you like what you read...
Check Out These Links
About Me
- Eddy
- There is no truth that I came out of the womb with a baseball mitt on my hand. However, my first words were likely "Play Ball!" I loved sports as I was growing up and I learned many lessons from playing, especially baseball as a boy. I still love almost anything with a scoreboard and competition, but my fanaticism has been tempered by real world issues and by viewing other adults living their lives based on the outcome of children's games played by other adults. As I recently heard someone say, it is not WWII. I will still probably write about sports and specific sporting events because I do love sports and believe there is much to be learned on the field of competition. That being said, my main goal is to write of my life lessons hopefully to help others learn to live a more rewarding, healthy, wealthy, and successful life.
No comments:
Post a Comment