What if we showed up instead of showing off?

I am a corporate leadership coach and, if you haven't heard yet, I took a barista job because I’m obsessed with coffee… and I want to tell you about how I got my butt kicked (hard) on my first day. 

I eagerly walk into the cafe ready to put my bountiful coffee knowledge and 10,000 hours of coffee drinking experience to work.

I get a quick yet extremely thorough overview of the meticulous process of pulling a perfect shot and steaming the perfect milk from their professional machines and...

Whoooaaaa

 It truly is a science and my head is quickly spinning.

 “Alright, go for it, let’s see what you make”

 I feel the heat of suddenly being thrown under a spot light I am not prepared for.

 My shot runs too fast. Dammit.

 The steam wand screeches. Dammit.

 I burn my fingers on the milk pitcher. Dammit.

 My latte art is nonexistent. Dammit.

 I hand my sad latte to my boss…

 He tells me the “Milk consistency is good but the shot is too weak and the temperature isn’t hot enough, not bad but we couldn’t serve this here. Try again.”

 Bam, the blow to my ego is deeper than I expected. Sure, I knew I wouldn’t be perfect but I thought I’d do better than that. It hurt. But I’ve been here before...

In the corporate world I had countless moments where I walked in expecting to succeed or shine and just flopped instead, because I focused more on showing off than showing up.

 Showing off my love and knowledge of coffee won’t make me a talented barista or earn respect faster. Just like showing off my experience in the agency world didn’t make me a better team leader or respected account VP.

 But my fierce curiosity, courage to keep trying and desire to learn from those around me can.

 Being a good leader doesn’t mean you never disappoint yourself. 

 It means that you feel the sting of embarrassment but keep going anyways because it isn’t about you being great it’s about remaining resilient and committed to helping the team become greater.