Gary Vee has become a controversial character over the years; he’s loud, he swears a lot, and his advice is often viewed as unrealistic.
All those points could be reasonably argued, and those often are what’s argued when I hear his name brought up.
But the reason I’ve grown so fond of Gary is a reason I don’t hear discussed as often: His unique balance of .
Gary recently published his 13 ingredients to business success, which included traits like:
- Ambition
- Accountability
- Tenacity
As well as:
- Kindness
- Empathy
- Humility
I can’t help but observe that, in our modern world, we often view these traits as mutually exclusive; as if trying to amplify empathy is a sign of weakness, or encouraging personal responsibility emboldens heartlessness.
Not only is this often objectively inaccurate, I don’t think it’s a valuable perspective to hold.
Yet, it seems a spectrum exists with these traits on opposing ends, which results in (and is fueled by) a black-and-white mentality that embodying one means the absence of the other.
That’s the easiest way to think, but it’s lame. And wrong.
Strive for confidence AND empathy towards others. Strive to value personal responsibility AND have awareness of other people’s wellbeing. Strive for toughness AND compassion.
The world isn’t as black and white as we like to see it as, don’t fall in that trap.