Competence Creates Confidence

“So, Bryce, what do you think?” All heads turned to look in my direction. 

The question hit me like a ton of bricks. I tried moving but I felt numb.

“Pardon me?” I managed, trying as best as possible not to sound like a college kid.

“On the proposal, what are your thoughts? Do you have any insight?”

There I sat, with the Senior Vice President of the company’s western territory, who happens to be my boss, his legal team, and his head of operations, and they’re asking me, a recent intern, what my thoughts are about a multimillion-dollar proposal the company was pitching. 

This was supposed to be a routine meeting with a small client. Turns out this “small” client just happened to be the founder of one of the largest tech start-ups, valued at a whopping 3 billion dollars. 

As a non-traditional college student who came from an underserved community, I know the value of hard work, building relationships and networking. During college, I worked full time, cared for an older parent and found time to volunteer at the local youth center. Oftentimes I would come home exhausted and fall asleep, head in a textbook. It was a struggle, but somehow, I finished, graduating with honors. Those long nights and weekends taught me to be scrappy and helped me develop grit. 

I credit my time volunteering with those kids with keeping me motivated and moving forward. Most of those kids grew up in similar conditions as I did… inadequate resources, being marginalized, counted out, and ignored. I made it my priority to show them a path to success. During my hours there, a couple of influential volunteers began to take notice of the work I put in. They began connecting me with other community leaders. I always listened, took mental notes and added value whenever I could. I’m a big believer in competence creating confidence. 

“Yes Sir, thank you for the opportunity. I greatly appreciate it.” Not one to outshine the boss, one of the 48 Laws of Power, I went on, fully backing my boss’s proposal. 

  Competence in your field is one of the most important aspects of building your brand. Put in the necessary reps to be great. This way when your number’s called, you’ll be ready to score.