One of the great privileges of having spent decades in a profession is accumulating experience. I started my company in 1984 and discovered a truism: Life can be unfair. It often delivers the tests first and then the lessons.
You learn what works. You learn what doesn’t. Pain and pleasure principles bring you to the next chapters in your story.
You develop instincts. You recognize patterns. You become more confident in your ability to navigate difficult situations.
But experience has a hidden danger.
If we're not careful, experience can turn into certainty. And certainty can become a barrier to growth.
I've learned over the years that one of the most important qualities a professional can develop isn't knowing more.
It's being willing to admit:
“I don't know.”
And then asking:
“What can I learn?”
That's humility.
And humility may be one of the most misunderstood qualities in professional life.
Humility Isn't Thinking Less of Yourself
Humility isn't weakness. It doesn't mean lacking confidence or minimizing your accomplishments. True humility is having enough confidence to remain open. Open to another perspective. Open to new technology. Open to a younger colleague's idea. Open to feedback. Open to the possibility that something you've been doing for years might no longer be the best way to do it.
After more than four decades in the promotional products industry, I've had the opportunity to watch our business change dramatically. Heck, seriously — in my first years we researched product on microfiche. (Younger readers - Google it).
The products have changed. The technology has changed. The way we communicate has changed. The way clients buy has changed. Who is in the buyers seat has changed. Perception of our industry has changed. Even what we call ourselves continues to change - from advertising specialties to promotional products to branded merchandise.
And yet one thing hasn't changed:
The professionals who continue to grow are the ones who continue to learn.
The World Doesn't Owe Us Familiarity
Change can be uncomfortable because it asks us to leave the familiar.
We've all had moments when we've thought:
"That's not how we used to do it."
Sometimes that's a legitimate observation.
But it's also worth asking:
"Does the fact that we've always done it this way mean it's still the best way?"
That's a harder question. And an important one.
The promotional professional of today has access to tools and information that would have seemed almost unimaginable earlier in my career. AI can generate ideas in seconds. Clients can research products before they ever contact us. Communication is instantaneous.
We can resist those changes. Or we can learn how to use them.
Adaptation doesn't mean abandoning everything we've learned.
It means taking what remains valuable and being willing to evolve the rest.
Who Can Teach You?
One of the most powerful questions we can ask ourselves is:
“Who can I learn from?”
The answer might surprise you.
It could be a 25-year-old colleague who understands something about technology that you don't.
It could be a client who sees your business from an entirely different perspective.
It could be a competitor who is doing something exceptionally well.
It could be someone outside the promotional products industry altogether.
It could even be someone you mentor.
Teaching others often reveals how much we still have to learn ourselves.
The point is to stay curious.
Don't just look upward for wisdom.
Look around.
Asking for Help Is a Strength
There is another dimension of humility that can be especially difficult for experienced professionals:
... asking for help.
We sometimes believe that because we've been successful, we're supposed to have the answers.
But nobody does.
Asking for help doesn't diminish your expertise. It demonstrates that you're committed to getting better.
Imagine what might change if, instead of struggling privately with a challenge, you simply asked:
"Have you ever dealt with something like this?"
Or:
"What would you do if you were in my position?"
Or:
"What am I missing?"
Those questions open doors. And they create connection.
People generally enjoy helping when they know their experience can make a difference.
Coachability Is a Career Advantage
Being coachable doesn't mean accepting every piece of advice you're given.
It means being willing to listen before deciding.
You can hear an idea without adopting it.
You can consider criticism without accepting every criticism as truth.
You can change your mind without losing your identity.
In fact, changing your mind when new information warrants it may be one of the clearest signs of intellectual strength.
The goal isn't to become someone who follows every new trend.
The goal is to become someone who is willing to examine the evidence, listen carefully, and adjust when necessary.
That's coachability.
Bringing Your Best Self to the Mission
But perhaps there's an even deeper question beneath humility and growth:
What am I trying to accomplish with my life and my work?
If we don't know our purpose, change can feel threatening.
Every new technology becomes competition. Every younger professional becomes a threat. Every different approach feels like criticism of what we've done before.
But when we're anchored in purpose, we can become more flexible about how we accomplish the mission.
The what may remain constant while the how evolves.
My purpose isn't tied to a particular technology, product, process, or business model.
It's tied to making a difference.
To helping people.
To sharing what I've learned.
To encouraging professionals to pursue not only success, but significance.
That purpose gives me permission to keep changing.
And perhaps that's the real paradox:
The more secure we become in our purpose, the more willing we can be to change our methods.
Your Best Self Is a Moving Target
Bringing your best self to your mission doesn't mean being perfect every day.
It means being intentional.
It means asking:
What can I learn today?
Who can teach me something?
Where might I need to change?
Who could I help?
Where can I make a difference that matters?
Those questions keep us moving forward.
Because growth isn't something that happens to us. It's something we participate in.
Every conversation gives us an opportunity to learn. Every challenge gives us an opportunity to adapt. Every person we encounter gives us an opportunity to see the world differently.
And every day gives us another opportunity to bring our best self to the work that matters to us.
Inner Game Practice
The Humility & Growth Practice Box
1. Ask for One Piece of Feedback
Choose someone you trust and ask:
“What's one thing I could do better?”
Then resist the urge to explain or defend.
Just listen.
2. Learn From Someone Unexpected
Identify someone younger than you, newer to the industry, outside your profession, or even someone you might normally consider a competitor.
Ask them:
“What do you see that I might be missing?”
3. Identify One Assumption
Write down one belief about your work that you've held for a long time.
Then ask:
“Is this still true?”
If the answer isn't an unequivocal yes, investigate.
4. Ask for Help
Think of one challenge you're currently facing.
Instead of solving it alone, identify someone who might have experience or insight you don't have.
Make the call.
5. End the Day With Purpose
Before you finish your workday, ask:
“Did I bring my best self to my mission today?”
Not your most productive self.
Not your most successful self.
Your best self.
There's a difference.
The Difference That Matters
We spend much of our professional lives measuring what we accomplish.
Revenue.
Growth.
Clients.
Recognition.
Awards.
But eventually, another measurement becomes more important:
Did I make a difference?
Did I help someone?
Did I make a colleague better?
Did I make a client's job easier?
Did I share something that might help another professional?
Did I listen when someone needed to be heard?
Did I leave something better than I found it?
Those are difficult things to put on a spreadsheet.
But they may be the things that matter most.
Humility keeps us teachable.
Curiosity keeps us growing.
Adaptability keeps us relevant.
Purpose keeps us moving in the right direction.
And when those four qualities come together, we don't simply become better professionals.
We become better versions of ourselves.
That's the Inner Game.
That's growth.
And that's the pursuit.
Closing Reflection
How did I show up today—and is that aligned with who I want to become?