60-Minute CEO: Mastering Leadership an Hour at a Time

Chapter 26

Humility Not Hubris

Observe a business owner’s behavior long enough and you can paint a pretty accurate picture of what’s driving her.

Business schools would say that the answer is profit. But profit is seldom what’s really driving an owner. Sure, it’s what we always talk about. But profit’s a second-level motivator for most of us. It’s a surrogate for something deeper … and often uncomfortable to talk about … that actually drives how we think and behave in our businesses. And it’s that deeper motivator that determines our effectiveness as well as our ability to deliver profit.

The punch line here? What motivates many people who run ...