Recently I was interviewing CEO of a very successful company. He started the company when he was in college.
Over the years, he has had a lot of successful people invest in his company. Some investors have invested over $1 million in his company. That is pretty amazing for someone in their twenties who started their company on a college campus.
As we were talking about this, he said that as he built relationships with his investors, he started asking them why they invested in his company. He said they all had the same answer, “It’s not the company we’re investing in. Honestly, we don’t think your idea is unbelievable, it’s OK . . . We are investing in you.”
Photo Credit: Round Table Companies
Isn’t that interesting? They weren’t investing in his idea or his company. They were investing in him. They believed in him. The believed in his work ethic, his heart, and his integrity. They knew that if they invested in him, something great would come of their investment.
As I went home from that interview, I kept asking myself, “Am I worth people’s investment? Am I worth people betting on? Am I worth people giving me a shot?” Some tough questions. At the end of the day, I determined to become someone worth investing in.
People can invest their time, their knowledge, their skills, and money in you. In fact, successful people long to invest what they’ve gained through life in others. The question is, what can we do to become someone worth their investment?
Here are some questions that I believe will make you and I worth the investment of others:
- Are you hungry to grow? – Mentors love to spend time with people who are hungry. They want it! They want to grow and develop more than anything. So much that they are constantly seeking out opportunities to grow.
- Will you do something with what people invest in you? – So, someone invests an hour a month in you over coffee or a million dollars in your company . . . now what? What are you going to do with what you’ve received? People will only invest in us for so long without a return on their investment!
- How are you at receiving feedback and coaching?– Part of growing is being willing to hear things you don’t want to hear. If someone loves you enough to coach you in areas you can improve in, how will you respond to that? How you respond will determine whether or not your worth investing in.
What other questions should we be asking to determiner whether we’re worth the investment or not?
Are you worth investing in?
What are some things you can do right now to become more valuable to those who would like to invest in you?
Thoughts?
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4 Responses
Mr. Smith, I enjoyed this article very much. I also wanted to mention that you will be hard pressed to get anyone to believe in you if you do not first believe in yourself!
Thanks Kameron! Good word too! I’ve been learning to believe in myself! It’s a hard lesson to learn!
Hey Bubba! I always enjoy your posts! In my therapy work, many clients – and people in general don’t believe they are worthy and valuable. They have been told their whole life they aren’t worth investing in. I think these negative messages are one of the key reasons why people can’t/don’t invest in them. They present being unworthy. I pray that all people will know how worthy, loved, cherished, and amazing God has made us! I pray that people will invest even in the ones that are deemed ‘not good enough’ to invest in. Jesus continues to do this in all our lives and throughout the gospels. He shows us the power in investing in the ‘least of these’ people.
Stef!
Good to hear from you! Thanks for your input! I totally get what you’re saying! It’s the same with the people that I work with at my job. I obviously believe everyone is worth investing! God obviously cares about and values every single person!
My blog is focused on encouraging people in their walk with God, equipping them in leadership and personal growth, and becoming all that God has called them to be.
This post was more or less for leaders in the workplace on how to stand out and be someone that attracts mentors. Hopefully these people will go out of their way to serve, mentor, and invest in “the least of these.” That’s what it’s all about!
Thanks for challenging me though! I appreciate it and it always causes me to re-think the way I communicate on a subject.
Hope all is well!
Bubba