The Entrepreneur Edge: Learn from People Who are Smarter Than You
I’m one of those know-it-all people you love to hate. I’ve felt (up until recently) that there was little I needed to learn in the world of content marketing. After all, I’ve been in the industry for 15 years! But I’ve learned to set my ego aside in this matter, and as a result, I feel like I’ve achieved what I’d like to call the entrepreneur edge.
What’s the secret?
Being open to learning from people who are smarter than you.
As I’ve shared, I recently took a full-time job (in addition to continuing to run Egg). Rather than being a one-person operation, I now work with about eight people on a marketing team. Having been accustomed to being that kid in school who carried the team projects (I couldn’t stand getting a lower grade because there were a few slackers in the group), I fully expected to continue to plow along relying on my own infinite wisdom.
But the thing is…this group of people is insanely smart. The SEO guys are on top of micro-changes to our ranking in a way I never could be. The PR woman is super sharp about finding opportunities for us to contribute to. The social media coordinator makes me weep at all I don’t know about social media.
And the cool thing is: any time I have a question or want to bone up on something, I can just ask. And I can rely on them to excel in their roles, which helps us all succeed.
What This Entrepreneur Edge Has Taught Me
So the lesson I’ve learned is to not assume I know it all, and to not rely solely on my knowledge and experience. I’m learning that, by opening up to getting help or collaborating with others, I’m adding to my own knowledge base. And that’s a pretty great accomplishment.
If you’re Type A (as so many of us entrepreneurs are), I encourage you to get your own entrepreneur edge by letting go of the story that you have nothing left to learn.
There is always more to learn.
Instead, look for learning opportunities. Learn from clients. Learn from other people in your industry. Learn from employees. Everyone has a different life path and has had experiences different from your own, and that provides fodder for your own self-development.
