Jeff Stibel’s latest Linkedin post, What to Do when You’re Asked to Go Get the Coffee, provides some great insights into his personal character and gives a great lesson on humility.
What do you do when you’re the CEO of a company and someone asks you to get them coffee? You get someone beneath you to get it for them, right? Jeff Stibel didn’t think so. When a venture capitalist he was pitching his business to asked him, “would you mind getting me a cup of coffee?”, he got the coffee for the VC and then proceeded to move on with the pitch.
When you believe that “you’re just as good a choice as anyone else,” you show your team that you’re all equals, according to Mr. Stibel. You give yourself the opportunity to learn from the experience and the person, no matter how high or low on the totem pole they are. The post explains that everyone has a different lesson to teach, we just need to be humble enough to have an open mind and ear to listen and learn.
As an intern, I love this story. I don’t believe that there is a job I’m too good for, and I’m willing to learn and try everything as I start to connect with people here. I have a lifetime to learn how to balance being competitive with humility and genuine care, but at the end of the day I’m learning more and more how valuable my relationships are. I could just be a worker bee focusing on my blog posts and articles, but I want to hear more about the crazy motorcycle crashes, the craigslist furniture hunts, beach runs, and more.
These personal connections are some of the best parts of this internship and I love participating in this unique group environment with great coworkers, awesome mentors, and an insightful executive team.
Photo Credit: Anthony_p_c, flickr
