These Two Simple Words Can Make You Rich

Andy Snyder|October 5, 2021

Two words…

Humble and courageous.

They sound cheesy, right? Like something on a lousy T-shirt or a 12-year-old girl’s lunch box.

But we’re convinced they’re the answer to all that ails you, your neighbor or anybody else who feels things just aren’t right these days.

You see, we were recently asked a simple question: What are the traits of a good leader? Some thoughts came to mind quickly. Over the decades, we’ve seen leaders from all across the spectrum.

So instead of spitting out an answer that wasn’t well thought out or was incomplete (which, with a subject like this, could do more harm than good), we mulled it over. We did some thinking and even a bit of reading.

We arrived at those two words above.

A good leader is equal parts humble and courageous.

And it turns out, this is the recipe not just for creating somebody we’d want to follow… but also for a good, successful life.

Oddly, it has everything to do with how we earn a buck too.

Vote for Me vs. Follow Me

Since it’s a topic we know all too well, we’ll start with those dopes in Washington.

They’re not good leaders.

A humble leader we do not see anywhere inside the Beltway. And Dorothy would have a tough time determining which of these cowardly lions she’d waltzed into town with.

But imagine if we did have humility within the ranks of our leaders.

If that were the case, maybe Jay Powell would still have a job a few months from now. Maybe control of the nation’s monetary system would not soon change hands once again.

“Listen,” Powell could have said to the folks on Capitol Hill last month, “I was wrong about inflation. It’s worse than I thought… but I will fix it.”

Instead, the man and the troops around him speak in half-truths and suppositions. That way, they’re never wrong. It allows for a nation of pundits and journalists to decode their official thoughts.

The market rises and falls not on leadership, but on perceived clairvoyance.

Not good.

Imagine, too, a world with monetary courage.

“What we’re doing is not working,” Powell would say. “There’s no trust. And the numbers aren’t adding up. It won’t be popular, but here is what we must do next.”

It’s not just Powell, of course. He wasn’t even elected. He’s just on our mind these days.

This leadership mess stretches across the board.

Last month, we asked a lowly township supervisor what he’d do if he were in our shoes. He looked away and didn’t mutter a word.

Courage and humility weren’t on the ballot.

Clearly, the world doesn’t need more oratorically gifted salesmen. We don’t need more folks who use hollow words to get what they want.

We need folks who are humble and courageous.

Such folks have the rare gift of admitting when they’re wrong and accepting wins with a gracious, fleeting smile. And yet, they’ve got the courage to do what’s right, to have the tough conversations and to stand up when others are taking a knee.

Having said that, we’d be ignoring the log in our eye if we didn’t all look in the mirror.

Lead Yourself to Success

You want to make more money, right?

Good. See above.

You’ll need a heaping dose of humility and courage.

You must admit that your past wins may not have been achieved solely through skill or hard work. Good luck and fortunate timing likely played a role. Understand that one win – or a hundred wins, even – doesn’t mean the next move – or the next hundred – will play out the way you want.

Have the courage to do what’s necessary. Force yourself to do what’s hard… but right. Have the courage to buy when others are selling.

It’s not easy.

Not everyone can lead the pack.

We all fall behind. But focus on these two ideas, and it will happen a lot less often.