I had the privilege of talking with Outreach CEO, Manny Medina and learned about his personal success story. At the time of writing this, Outreach is valued at over $1 billion! In our conversation, Manny gave us some insight on what has contributed to his success and I believe this will benefit you personally and professionally.
Here are the 3 key takeaways from my conversation with Manny.
1) Legacy > Currency
One key takeaway was that legacy is greater than currency. When you make decisions based off of short term rewards (money) as opposed to long term (legacy, personal brand, etc.), you will lose. Since his early childhood in Ecuador, Manny felt out of place and felt his life had a higher calling to do better for the sake of everyone else. Providing for the masses was always something he pondered, whether that was helping minimize poverty, providing education to the masses, or even providing healthcare. While he feels being an entrepreneur is counter intuitive in a way (since the stereotype of becoming an entrepreneur is to get rich), he wants to build something meaningful for himself, his community, and his customers, and leave that behind as a legacy.
When it's all said and done, how would you like to be remembered?
2) Be curious!
Another characteristic that contributes to Manny’s success is understanding people’s motivations. Getting under the surface level while in a conversation with someone and really understanding an individual’s true motivations is truly powerful. For Manny, it allows him to have deeper conversations with anyone that he interacts with. In fact, it's very hard for him to not be serious and have small talk. He is more interested in where you’re coming from, where you’re going, and why? He believes everyone has a purpose and has a “why” to their existence, and he's interested in learning that. For those that may be in a leadership role, this is crucial to the success of your team. When you truly understand what motivates a member of your team, you are able to help them reach their maximum potential.
What's your "why" to your existence?
3) Fail fast!
The final takeaway from our conversation was to not be afraid to fail. As cliche as it seems, you really need to realize that failing at something is actually getting you closer to your goals and ultimately success! If you're not failing, you are not pushing your limits. And if you’re not pushing your limits, you’re not maximizing your potential! And remember, the regret of not trying is greater than the regret of failing. In fact, Manny advises to expect failure early on as it will help you mentally prepare for it and move on when it does happen. He describes it as though having a healthy relationship with failure. So, don't be afraid to fail. Go out there, get out your comfort zone, fail fast, learn from your failures, progress, and win!
Did you fail today?