Be Humble

I was about 20 years old the first time I managed employees. I had already been a developer and a business owner for several years by then.

I’ve always been acknowledged by everyone as being quite smart. Unfortunately, that made me a bit arrogant. I thought I knew everything there was to know about writing code. I was certain that even if I didn’t, there would be few who could teach me something new.

Luckily for me, I was humbled fairly quickly. I learned simple ideas such as early returns from junior developers I hired. This changed my perspective entirely.

I am now happy to admit my ignorance. I am open to learning from anyone. I no longer assume people with less experience can’t teach me anything. In fact, I find it very likely they can.

My point? You can be very good. You can be exceptional. You will still slow your growth if you don’t stay modest. Respect everyone. Be humble.