The Entrepreneur's BattleSample

Image Management: Growing through Failure

We all want to appear like we have it all together. As entrepreneurs, we want our investors, employees, and customers to know that everything is under control. We can take care of everything. We can handle whatever comes our way.

The problem with this attitude is that it often ends with us putting up a front. And trying to manipulate the way others perceive us is a slippery slope because eventually all we have is this false frame that others see with no concept of our actual self that lies within it. We can quickly become walking shells of humans with personalities we’ve merely created for ourselves.

Jesus paints us a picture that shows the difference between someone who manages their image and someone who is honest about who they are. In this parable, we see the Pharisee persuading God to perceive him in a certain light. He keeps the things he’s ashamed of to himself and comes to God with only the good—the fasting and the tithing.

But for the tax collector, there’s no front. He knows that he’s a sinner, and he knows that God knows, so why try to hide? All he asks for is mercy. He doesn’t try to curry favor, doesn’t try to bring blessing upon himself. He just wants grace. And as Jesus explains, it’s this heart posture of humility that leads to this man’s justification.

Entrepreneurs can very easily act like the Pharisee in this parable. We can present information—to our shareholders, our friends, our families—that serves as a means for self-justification. “I’m going to meet our next quarter goals.” “I’m going to make sure the job gets done.” “I’m going to be everywhere people need me to be.”

But here’s the truth: we can’t do it alone, and even if we could, it’s not about us anyway. God wants our honest hearts, not the facades we put up for others, or the version of ourselves we’re most proud of. But to give Him that requires humility. And the terrifying truth is that if we don’t humble ourselves, God might humble us for us. He has changed kings and altered kingdoms. If he needs to take away a business to remind us that He is God, that seems well within His reason.

So, what would it take for us to look in the mirror and see what’s really there? What would we need to make us stop pretending like we have everything under control and start showing others and God the truth about what’s really going on?

Further Thought

• What is it about the entrepreneurial journey that fosters the idea that we can control how we’re perceived? Why is there a natural desire for us to determine what others think about us?
• Are there any areas of your life where you’re not being totally honest—with yourself, with others, or with God?
• How would your life look differently if you took down the false front you’ve put up and started living authentically?