Why Teachable People Win

I was thinking recently about the difference between Muhammad Ali and a professor I had at Dartmouth College.

When people think of humility, they usually don’t think of Ali. He walked around saying he was pretty, the greatest, the king of the world. On the surface, that looks like pure arrogance.

But anyone who actually knows Ali’s story knows this. He was obsessed with getting better. Not just in the ring, but as a human being. He learned constantly. He listened. He adjusted his training, his strategy, his thinking. His confidence didn’t make him unteachable. It existed because he was teachable. He was always refining himself.

Now contrast that with this professor.

If you looked at him, you’d think he was the definition of humility. Tweed jacket. Wire-rimmed glasses. Office lined with books. Soft-spoken. Polite. Ivy League credentials. He looked meek and unassuming.He was the exact opposite.

By forty, he had decided he had everything figured out. Being challenged annoyed him. New ideas threatened him. He was one of the most closed-minded people I’ve ever met. He performed humility, but he was deeply arrogant.

Here’s the lesson.

Don’t confuse politeness with humility.
And don’t confuse confidence with arrogance.

Some of the most arrogant people in the world are quiet, polite, and “well-mannered.
”Some of the most confident, brash people you’ll ever meet are eager to learn and quick to adjust.
Real humility isn’t how you sound.

It’s whether you’re willing to get better.
If you’re teachable, you’ll keep improving.
If you’ve decided you’ve arrived, you’re already done.