How Choosing Humility Pays Out
Two months ago, I had a casual conversation with my former coworkers who knew I was building a consulting business. They suggested I talk to a mutual friend who was the Events Manager for a global church planting network. She was putting on a major conference in Dallas and their original idea was for me to become a sponsor, pay for a booth, and generate leads by tabling.
So I called my friend and made the ask: Could I be a sponsor and get a booth at the conference? Absolutely, she said. But before I could celebrate, she quickly made an ask of me: Would you be interested in being my Sponsorship Coordinator?
She explained the circumstances surrounding her ask, set expectations, and answered some basic questions I had. Though I had never served in this role before, I accepted the offer, onboarded immediately, and got to work.
Shortly thereafter, I had a conversation with her husband - my former boss & pastor. He said he didn’t want to burst my bubble, but given the nature of the organization, it was unlikely that tabling was going to be as profitable as I might’ve hoped. Rather than dig my heels in, I heeded his counsel. I scrapped the booth idea, saved $3,000 (I didn’t really have), and doubled-down on serving all the other sponsors.
It didn’t take long to be reminded that building a plane in flight is hard. And humbling. I had to learn on-the-job with lots of missing information. Early into my new gig, I sent an email to one sponsor without knowing the agreements struck by my predecessor. The reply email was swift and stern, expressing deep frustration with me and the entire organization. Yikes!
I took it on the chin, double-checked the data, discovered my error, and sent a sincere apology email. Thankfully, the humble tenor of my response led to reconciliation before the conference. What’s more, it became a seed, watered by additional humble service, that blossomed into an very fruitful in-person conversation during the conference.
Humility is not merely a noble character trait.
It really pays dividends vocationally, relationally, and financially!
As I reflect back on my whirlwind experience, there are three ways choosing humility paid for me.
Humility to Ask. I could’ve been paralyzed by fear and false humility: Who am I to ask for a booth at a global church planting conference? Do you see the keynote speakers!? Look at the other sponsors. Who the heck is Trellis Consulting!?
Instead, I chose a faith-filled humility and asked the seemingly dumb question. Payout? God opened the door to new opportunities.
Humility to Apologize. That scathing email I got for my blunder? I could’ve reacting viscerally and gave the sponsor a piece of my mind. But that would’ve been pride, the opposite of false humility described above.
Instead, I chose to be meek and apologize for my mistake. Payout? God restored the relationship which led to new learnings.
Humility to Adapt. Less than two weeks after thinking I would both be a sponsor and coordinate with 30+ other sponsors, I received game-changing advise. I could’ve ignored the new intel I received and just plowed forward with my own plan, insisting on my own way.
Instead, I chose to lay down my plan and adapt wisely. Payout? God ordered my steps to save money.
There’s a reason why humility is talked about so often in Scripture.
There’s a reason why humility is one of the three virtues of an Ideal Team Player.
It’s not merely a noble character trait. It really pays dividends vocationally, relationally, and financially!