Being Right vs. Getting it Right

While serving a client yesterday, I was in a team meeting for a project we’re working on. It’s a complex project that intersects with several different departments. For that reason, it’s always helpful to bring the team together to get a second set of eyes and fresh perspectives. One woman, who is very new to the company, pointed out a few logical inconsistencies with my work. After discussing for a few minutes, it was clear she was right. I could tell she was confident in her perspective, yet hesitant to tell me I was wrong. Though it’s never fun to be wrong, I greatly appreciated her shining a light on this issue. To ensure she and everyone else would continue to feel comfortable, I let them know my perspective on the topic. “I’m in the business of getting it right, not being right.” From that point forward, the feedback and discussion opened up and the project was the primary beneficiary.

It’s not easy, but I try to make this my motto in life. Being right does me no good when I don’t get it right. It’s a fruitless endeavor with our pride being the only winner. This is actually one of the main characteristics I look for when interviewing prospective coaching clients. If they are in the business of being right, they can never reach their full potential. In fact, it will be a brutal coaching journey, full of butting heads and stubborn disagreements. On the other hand, if they are in the business of getting it right, there’s no limit to what they can accomplish.

When I think about this idea, a few different angles come to mind:

• Just because something used to be true, it doesn’t mean it’s still true today. Investing is a huge example of that. Most people invest the same way today that they did 25 years ago. After all, it’s the way it’s always been done. What they don’t know is there are far better ways to invest today. Ways that didn’t exist 25 years ago. Easier, cheaper, better, simpler, and more streamlined ways. This highlights the importance of continually learning and evolving as our environment evolves.

• We often get so engrained in the way we see something, we aren’t willing to consider that perhaps there’s a better way. This is a common occurrence in my line of work. If someone were to consider that I may be right about something, they have to simultaneously consider that they may have been wrong for the past 5, 10, or 20 years. This is a tough pill to swallow…..so many don’t. If we can humble ourselves to consider we may be wrong, we open ourselves up to the truth.

• Sometimes we are right about something……but there’s more to the story. We know the truth, but it’s a half-truth. These can be deadly, as we get a false sense of confidence and let our guard down. These are pervasive in the financial world. There are a lot of universal truths people pass back and forth, but they are often only half truths. If we’re hungry to learn, we can find the missing pieces and get a fuller understanding of the real truth.

This is hard, but worth it. I haven’t always got this right. Strike that. I often got it wrong for many years. But the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know. As you settle into your day, I challenge you to be in the business of getting it right, not being right. I promise it will change your conversations, your relationships, and yourself.

This Is Pointless

I recently became a partner in a start-up coffee company, Northern Vessel. Today marks the one-month anniversary of our brick-and-mortar opening. By any metric or measurement, the most appropriate way to describe the results of the last month is, well, meteoric. It’s been far greater than we could have ever imagined, and for that we’re grateful.

I’ve had lots of people ask me why Northern Vessel has experienced so much success, so quickly. My answer is always the same: failure and persistence. While Northern Vessel is a start-up, this is actually the fourth iteration of the company. We call it NV 4.0. The concept was birthed five years ago when our founder, TJ Rude, lived in Los Angeles and fell in love with their unique coffee culture. Soon after that, NV 1.0 was born. It was a coffee cart that served up their signature Cold Brew Lattes at grad parties, weddings, and other events worth celebrating. I was first introduced to NV at a grad party for one of my youth group kids and was immediately fascinated.

During COVID, as all events were shut down, NV started a delivery service (NV 2.0), where TJ would hand-deliver larger batches of drinks right to people’s doors (which is the first time I met TJ…..at my front door with a big bottle of Cold Brew Latte in his hands). It was during this stretch of time that Alex Prins, our creative and branding guru, entered the mix. TJ and Alex made a fantastic team and they had pretty big dreams about what NV could someday become. As COVID waned, they reopened their cart outside a restaurant…..then eventually took occupancy in that restaurant space (NV 3.0). Then suddenly, it all just ended. Due to a combination of factors, TJ pulled the plug and NV ceased to exist in any material form. Though I still wasn’t involved at that point, my heart broke for them….especially TJ. This was his baby and his dream. You can listen to a great podcast episode where TJ tells his story HERE.

Fast forward a year, from an outside perspective NV is an overnight success. When I think about NV, I think about this image:

From @visualizevalue on IG. Go follow them!

What people don’t see today is the blood, sweat, and tears TJ put in for nearly a half-decade. Or the awesome work Alex put in for the last 2+ years. They didn’t see the brutal grind, long hours, low pay, and less-than-glamorous lifestyle these two guys lived. I coached both of these guys for a season and I can attest nobody would have been jealous of their budgets or bank accounts. They were a couple of guys with a big dream, filled to the brim with passion, and talent coming out their ears.

I think the world is a better place because of what they built. Had TJ and Alex just walked away, thousands of people wouldn’t have the opportunity to enjoy it today. We all reach a point on our journey where it just feels pointless. We aren’t seeing the fruit, we encounter obstacle after obstacle, and it would just be easier to quit. It makes me wonder how many books, songs, businesses, ministries, and movies end up in a grave because their creators thought it was pointless and simply walked away. What if they were just one year, one month, or one week away from it all finally clicking?

What if it’s not pointless? What if it’s actually what you’re meant to do?

It’s Never Too Late

Last weekend, a friend approached me and said he had news wanted to share with me. Immediately, his eyes welled up as he started talking. He excitedly shared with me how he and his wife had just become debt free and set into motion a dream they had talked about for so long.

Any time someone shares a big win, I celebrate with them. However, this one felt different. I worked with them nearly a decade ago…..with very little success. And that experience came on the heels of very little success for the prior several decades. Literally decades of wishing, wanting, and not seeing it materialize. But not this time! This time they did it!

It’s never too late. This couple could have given up decades ago, conceding the system was rigged against them. I’m so glad they didn’t. In that moment, I could see so many regrets, mistakes, and failings wipe away from him. It’s like they dissolved right there in an instant.

It’s never too late to do the thing you’ve constantly failed at, were too scared to try, or kept putting off for any number of reasons. It’s never too late!