Provoking Your Greatness - Misti Burmeister

“How old are you?” John asked, after I had shared a bit about my history, why I do this work, and a few of the results I’ve helped leaders create.   “Why does it matter?” I asked, wondering if he’d been listening to me.   “It lets me know how much experience you’ve had on this planet.”   Having met several wise teenagers, and at least as many 70- and 80-year-olds who are the opposite, I cringed at such thinking.   “Ask me about my results—they speak louder than my years on this planet,” I replied, irritated.   Considering his level of success as an executive, and the depth of his connectivity, I wanted to impress him—to get him to think of me as special, exceptional, and one-of-a-kind.   Abandoning my normal tendency to ask questions and listen when meeting someone new, I set out to prove myself. I rattled off one success story after another. All the while, John was staring off into space, waiting for me to stop talking long enough for him to end the conversation.   Soon after we parted ways, it occurred to m