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CONFIDENCE vs. HUMILITY

I think all great entrepreneurs have a paradoxical blend of #confidence and #humility.


In business, Confidence is defined by ignoring the skeptics and the ability to fail, fail, fail and then succeed. Humility is defined by always listening to your market and staff, and always trying to find the solution, even if it means changing your business model.


Sir Ken Robinson spoke about a thought experiment in which a researcher asked a 1st grade classroom and a 10th grade classroom 3 basic questions:


"Who here can draw?"

ALL the 6 year olds answered "me! me! me! I'm the best..."

"Who here can sing?"

The ENTIRE class explodes, singing at the top of their lungs.

"Who here can dance?"

Again, EVERYONE starts wildly shaking and wiggling around.


Then he went to the 10th grade classroom and asked the same:

"Who here can draw?"

Two 16 year olds raised their hand, one saying he is an art student.

"Who here can sing?"

One girl stood up and said she can sing.

"Who here can dance?"

No one looked up, some nervously chuckled.


The question is - did the 10th graders lack confidence or were just being humble?


I'm not sure of the answer but it makes you think - what happened in the 9 years of education (or society) that made them change their answers??



 

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