Are you scared of sharing your success? Don’t withhold the gold!

Every week I get the chance to do VIP Deep Dives with serial entrepreneurs, CEOs, CCOs, CFOs, celebrities and executives. They don’t have a lot of time, and want results fast.
It’s pretty amazing what can happen when it’s just you and me and no distractions for a day. We get down and dirty fast on your needs in English, and what’s holding you back in your communication strategy. The end of the day is full of exhaustion, inspiration, occasionally happy tears, and new insights in how to shape and share your message with the world in a variety of ways, creating a communication strategy full of value, meaning, and impact.

One thing that pops up a lot in my sessions is that people make their success smaller than it is. Many of my clients have won awards. If you’re doing an investment round in the UK, the investors need to know about your track record. If you’re pitching your ideas to a new audience, the fact that these ideas were already published in the Harvard Business Review might be super interesting to them. You have a double PhD and it’s relevant to your subject? Share it. Share your success.

For some reason, many people in the Netherlands have a problem when it comes to sharing their success stories. The culture here is deeply rooted in a ‘just be normal, don’t stick your neck out’ attitude, which works beautifully when you’re playing a home game. However, when you have an away game and are dealing on an international stage, the rules bend slightly. We are (mostly) impressed and inspired by success. As an American, I’ve always wanted to go the extra mile when I see someone else doing it in front of me. Success lifts other people up, it makes them feel that anything is possible, and inspires others to chase their dreams.

However, some people see success as a threat, for some reason. They are jealous, or angry that this didn’t happen to them.

You know what? They are not your people. Leave them behind. The people who are inspired by your track record are the people you need to surround yourself with. Believe me, having a team around you who constantly strives to do better and is not afraid to share (relevant) success stories with the world makes all the difference.

What are you proud of today?
Let me know!
I’m proud that you’ve read this until the end.
Thank you.

If you don’t own your success, who will?

X buffi

PS: If a Deep Dive is out of your budget for now, do join me for a fabulous Business English day or weekend in September! All the details are here.