Ty Cobb Backer 0:00

Episode 352. What does it mean to bet on yourself?

SPEAKER_01 0:05

We have a kind of a belief system that either we're gonna push you up, we're gonna push you out.

Ty Cobb Backer 0:10

I don't want to be around five other people that aren't pushing themselves to succeed.

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Success isn't about taking, but giving value first. Compensation follows contribution always. This is true authenticity. It's the truth. Every week, this is our story. We share with you our journey, we share with you our scars. Please welcome your host, Ty Cobb

What Betting On Yourself Means

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Backer.

Ty Cobb Backer 0:32

Hey, hey, hey, hey! Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of Behind a Tool Belt. This is episode 352. And today I want to talk about something that I think applies to everyone. Everyone who listens to the show. Whether you are a business owner, if you are a manager, a foreman, salesperson, technician, someone who's been shit with a company for years, or somebody who just is just getting started, and and sometimes I think well, we hear we hear the phrase bet on yourself. And I think we hear that a lot. Take a chance. Believe in yourself. Go for it. And a lot of times a lot of times when when we hear that that phrase, we immediately think about somebody quitting their job and starting a business. But that but but I don't I don't think I don't think that's the only way you can bet on yourself. I think sometimes betting on yourself is raising your hand for more responsibility. Sometimes it's applying for a promotion. Sometimes it's volunteering to lead a project. Sometimes it's it's having the courage just to speak up at a meeting. You know, and sometimes it's it it may be learning a skill that that no one's asked you to learn, you know. You know, and and really sometimes it's it's it might be just saying, hey, give me a chance, I think I can do this. And and that's that's what I that's what I want to talk about today, because inside, I believe every organization there are opportunities. Opportunities to grow, opportunities to lead, opportunities to take on more responsibility and and opportunities to to become more valuable. You know, but but opportunities usually come usually come with some uncertainty. You don't always know, you know, if you're ready, you don't know if if you're going to get the promotion, you don't know if if you're going to succeed at the new role. Shit, you don't even know if somebody's going to say yes. You know, and sooner or later you have to decide, am I, am I, am I willing to bet on myself? So what does betting on yourself actually mean? Because I don't think it means walking around saying, I'm the best. I don't think it means believing that you're better than everyone around you. And and I don't I don't think it means you necessarily deserve something just because you want it. And it definitely doesn't mean you're entitled to a promotion or a raise or even the opportunity. To me, betting on yourself means I believe enough enough in my ability to learn, grow, work, and prove that I'm willing to step into something uncomfortable. That's what it means. You know, and today, today Vic and I had had a wonderful opportunity to to go out to Eric Brewer's office. He he hosts a networking group called or personal development. I'm not even sure what the heck you'd call it because it's kind of like a three-step thing where a group of them get together in the morning at 6:30, they work out, then they get home, they shower, then they meet back up for breakfast at his office. He has bagels, donuts, all kinds of stuff, water, coffee. And they meet back up at his shop. And, you know, Eric usually speaks or he brings a speaker in or whatever, however, he, you know, he hosts his networking. And then afterwards, and I'm not sure if this is every month, but afterwards a group of them go out to someplace else. And I think this week it was round the clock east, and and talk about or yeah, and and review scripture. Not exactly sure if if who who is you know hosting that or running that, I guess. But I think it's pretty cool. But we we had the opportunity to go out there and I got to share my experience, strength and hope. Seems really quite not as loud as usual. Zach just said that. So thanks. Thanks for letting us know. We noticed something last week. So Vic's back there waving his magic wander around to try to fix that. I'm gonna try to maybe get closer to the microphone too. That might be some of it. But anyhow, we got to go out there. Vic recorded it and let us know if that volume's any better. Share experience, strength, and hope. And there was, I don't know, 30, 40 people there. So it was pretty cool. It's been a minute since I got to do that, but probably been close to a year. So I felt like I was a little rusty, but but a lot of the topic I think for today overlaps. Okay, good. Zach, turn up the volume. Steven Spence is on here. He said, Zach, turn up your volume. Volume's good to him. Um, and Pete said yes. All right, so I'm gonna back up here a little bit, so I'm a little more comfortable. But it it was it was cool for me to get out of me and pour into other people this morning. Um, I didn't think we were gonna make it. I had something personal pop up and I didn't think we were gonna make it, but we did. I didn't want to let him down and everybody else that was waiting for us to get there. So, anyhow, bet on yourself. I bet on myself this morning. I stepped outside my comfort zone. Some of you may not know this. It's up and as loud as it goes. Bummer. Bummer Zach. Sorry, buddy. I'm glad you're here though. Thank you. Do you want me to? I'll get a sign person next next week. We can throw some sign language up for you, maybe. Or no, put up the subtitles. You should have the subtitles up. I think that automagically pops up. Wow. We we did that a long time ago. My aunt was was deaf and she was frustrated. My my cousin reached out to me. A couple, this was going back, and my cousin reached out, I was like, hey, my mom can't. She she likes she watches you every week, but she doesn't know what you're saying. But she was very good. She was very good at reading lips. But anyhow, shout out to my my cousin, so some backer, backer family. But anyhow, I wanted to talk a little bit about what I talked about today out at Eric's Core For. It's called Core 4. Family, Faith, Fitness, and Finance. It was pretty cool. I did it last month. I actually sat in as a as a I don't know, viewer or the audience. There was a great speaker last week. I got a lot of it. So anyhow, I may yeah, it's gonna overlap today. So anyhow, so betting on yourself. I know can be I know can be very uncomfortable. And for me, I it may sometimes sound like I may not know everything yet, but I am willing to learn and I may not have done this before, but I am willing to prepare. You know, and it shit, I may make mistakes, but I will take ownership. And that's a lot of the stuff that I was talking about

Raise Your Hand And Own It

Ty Cobb Backer 8:40

today. And that's that's betting on yourself, right? Like me stepping outside your comfort zone and and willing to learn, willing to take a risk, and willing to step outside and say, hey, um, do you mind giving me an opportunity to step into a leadership position or whatever the case might be? And I think sometimes people wait until they feel completely ready. And we've talked about that before. Like the problem with that is you may never feel ready. Like I wasn't ready this morning, but I did it, and I'm grateful that I did what I did. Because most most, I believe most growth happens before we're comfortable. It think about almost anything you've become good at. Okay, at some point you were a beginner, at some point you didn't know what what you were doing, and and at some point, you know, somebody had to trust you with something you hadn't done before. And at some point, you had to trust, trust in yourself to be able to do that, you know. So one of the easiest ways to to see this, I think, inside of a company is when an opportunity actually comes up, you know, the individual will say, Who wants to take this on? And and and what happens, you know, suddenly everybody comes fascinated with the floor. Nobody makes eye contact because taking ownership has risk, right? If you don't volunteer, nobody can blame you if something goes wrong. Okay. But if you raise your hand, you know, now people are watching. Now there's accountability. Now there's there is uh responsibility. And that's actually, you know, exactly why raising your hand could change your career, okay? Because leadership notices the people who are willing to take responsibility, not just the people who who have opinions or point out problems, the people who say, I'll solve it. Okay, those are the people organizations need. And I think one of the greatest things a team member can do is develop the habit of saying, Let me try. Not recklessly, not every single time, but when something aligns with where you want to grow, okay, raise your hand. Let's bet on ourselves, you know. But but here's the next question. And I talked about this this morning. Is belief enough? My response to that question is no, it isn't. Belief matters, confidence matters, but believing you deserve an opportunity doesn't mean you're prepared for the opportunity. Okay, there has to be work behind the belief. You can say, I want to be a manager, great. What are you what are you doing today to learn how to lead people? Okay, you can say, I want more responsibility, that's great. How are you handling the responsibilities you already have? Okay, you can say, I want the company to invest in me, that's great. Are you are you investing in yourself now? That's where betting on yourself becomes real. Okay. It's not just saying, I believe in me. It's saying I am willing to do to do the work to become worthy of the opportunity I'm asking for. That means that means learning, that means reading, that means training, asking questions, taking feedback, getting better at communication, improving your craft, becoming more dependable, and and being willing to accept correction. All of those things matter. You have to do that. I do those things. Nobody's paying me to do that, but and I'm not expecting someone, but if you're if you're already taking the steps to to invest in yourself, to learn new crafts, to learn new skills, I think you're already halfway there. You're already starting to bet on yourself. Because confidence without humility can be dangerous. Okay. You can believe in yourself and and and still say, I don't know. You can believe in yourself and still ask somebody for help. Okay. You can believe in yourself and still receive coaching. In fact, I would argue, I would argue that the people who grow the fastest are often the people who are more confident enough to try and humble enough to learn. That's what I think. And so let's talk about the the risk, okay, because there is a risk involved anytime you step forward, like almost every time, right? There's a little bit of fear in there, some risk. Maybe you leave a role you're comfortable in for a leadership position, and maybe maybe you're making good money in sales, and somebody asks you to start to manage. And maybe you're running a production and you're asked to oversee the entire department. And maybe you decide to go back to school, get certified, learn a new trade, move, move to a different department, take a bigger territory. They're all risk, okay? And that's why I think it's it's important to separate, you know, calculated risk from from gambling, okay? Because gambling, gambling's like, I I hope this works, right? And and taking more of a calculated risk, I think would be like, I I have I have thought through this and and I think I know what it is going to require. Okay. You know, and then you gotta ask yourself the question. Have I built the skills? What do I still need? What do I still need to learn? Who who can help me? What would success actually look like? Okay. What what would be expected of me? What does this opportunity cost me? What's the upside? What's the downside? And maybe one of the biggest questions, okay, am I willing to accept the responsibility that comes with the opportunity? Because sometimes people want the title without the responsibility. They want the promotion without the pressure, okay? They want the authority without the accountability, they want the paycheck without the problems that come with it. All right. But but when you bet on yourself, you have to understand you're you're not just betting on the reward, you're you're accepting the responsibility too.

Calculated Risk Beats Waiting

Ty Cobb Backer 16:00

So, so how do you act? Okay, with without the the the certainty, okay? Because this is where people get stuck, I think. This is where I've gotten stuck. Okay, I've had to think about this long and hard. Okay, I think they think I'll apply when I know I'm ready. I'll speak up when I'm sure my idea is perfect. I have missed so many great opportunities because of hesitating and becomes procrastination. Okay. I'll volunteer when I know I can't fail. Okay. Growth doesn't normally work that way. We talked about resilience this morning, resistance this morning. Like everything in life that's worth working for has some form of resistance. I want to lose weight, I want to lift weights, I want to do a diet, but like none of that stuff comes easy. Just because I went on a diet last week doesn't mean my pet my pounds started to shred instantaneously. Okay. Growth doesn't normally work that way. Sometimes you grow into a role. Sometimes somebody sees potential in you before you even see it in yourself. I don't know how many times that's happened. And sometimes the only way you're gonna find out what you're capable of trying. Okay. That doesn't mean pretending you're qualified for something you're not qualified for. There's a big difference there. Okay. But there's also a point where precaution can become procrastination. Okay. And I touched on that a little bit earlier. You can spend years saying one day, Vic, I think you talked about this a couple weeks ago. One day, someday, someday I'll lead, someday I'll ask, someday I'll take the class, right? One day I'll get certified. One day I might just speak up. And at some point, one day has become today. I've said this a lot on this show. Okay. Motion creates momentum and it applies to your career too. Make a move, read the book, take a course, schedule the conversation with your manager, you know, and ask, what do I need to improve if I want to move into a leadership position? If I want to move into a different, you know, position or department or whatever. You know, and sometimes we we might have to ask, what would I need to demonstrate to be considered for the next opportunity? Don't sit at your desk wondering why nobody has discovered your potential. Help people see it sometimes. Okay. Don't be arrogant about it. Like I mentioned earlier. Don't don't uh think you're better than everyone else and don't approach it that way. Like, well, I'm better than so-and-so at this position. You know, a lot of times you it it it's it's being humble, okay? If we want people, you know, and and this is the other thing too, and leaders, this isn't only on the team members, okay. And I'm I'm saying this to hear myself say this. We are responsible here too. Okay. If we want people to bet on themselves, we have to create an environment where people are allowed to grow. Okay. That means giving people opportunities. It means allowing people to make mistakes, it means coaching instead of immediately taking something back. Okay. And I'm guilty of that. It's been a minute, but I I have been definitely guilty of all of that stuff. But I hope we have an environment today, for the most part, where somebody can raise their hand. And, you know, and I hear it and I see it in the meetings too, where people are volunteering. We don't necessarily have people fascinated about the the floor or the ceiling tiles anymore when I ask who wants to show up and do something. Fortunately, I think we've done, and I say we, because it takes it takes the entire team to create an environment where people feel safe enough to raise their hands to say either no or yes, I want to take on the challenge. But I think for the most part, most of us are here to take on the challenge. So this is definitely falls on on leadership because here's what here's what leaders do sometimes. We say, I wish more people would would take ownership than then someone takes the actual ownership. They they they do it differently than than we would. And and then we want we want to jump in and take control back. Well, what did what did we just teach them? Okay, we taught them don't take the chance. If we're serious about developing people, we have to give them room, room to think, room to decide, room to fail within reasonable limits, okay, and and especially room to learn, okay? Because I think I think one of the greatest compliments a leader can receive is when somebody on their team says, they believed in me before I believed in myself. I think that is one of the biggest compliments that anybody in a leadership position could get. Think about the people who have done that for you. Okay. Somebody probably gave you a chance before before your resume said that you were ready. Okay. And somebody put it in, somebody put you in a position, okay, you hadn't held before, right? I I think that's happened to me. I know it has, you know, and I'd like to think that I've put people in those positions. It may have felt very uncomfortable at first, but that's what it was all about. That was the resistance we talked about earlier, right? Either the resistance from them or or the resistance between your ears saying. That I don't think I can do this, right? It just happens. We're human, but nothing great happens without resistance. So, you know, I think, I think you can handle it, you know, and I, you know, I've said that. I think you can handle it. I remember going back. I was just sitting here thinking about Keith Troop a long time ago, who used to work for us, and I saw Keith's potential. He he was a really good mechanic, and I ended up sending him to uh Botech to take some classes, and then he ended up getting his inspection license, and then we ended up opening up an inspection station. We started inspecting all of our own vehicles, and then we sent him to go get his CDL license because some of the trucks that we were that we had purchased required due to weight limits and stuff like that. And then shortly after that, Keith ended up actually moving on, you know. And I don't kick myself in the ass because, you know, somebody would say to me, and I've had people say this to me, why would you do that for somebody? And then, you know, running the risk that someday that that they would probably leave you. And it's like my response to that, and I know a few of us have heard this before, is what if I wouldn't have bet on them and they stayed?

unknown 23:12

Right?

Ty Cobb Backer 23:13

Did that make any sense? So I don't mind betting on people, especially those that I believe that are worthy or have the the I don't know, the grit, what it takes to figure it out. And I know Vic is a great example of that as well. I've seen Tam step out of her comfort zone. I've seen Skylar step out of his comfort zone. List goes on. There's a lot of lot of you out there. Thank you for betting on yourself for even coming here to work for us, to work with us, I should say. You know what I'm saying? But

What Really Stops Most People

Ty Cobb Backer 23:52

moving on, let's talk about let's talk about one of the biggest things stopping people from betting on themselves. Okay. Obviously, it's the the fear of failure, and I understand that. Nobody wants to look foolish, okay? Nobody wants to take a promotion and struggle, nobody wants to volunteer and fall short, you know, and the list goes on. Nobody wants to to give an idea and a meeting and and have it rejected. So we stay quiet. Okay. But think about what that cost. If you're unwilling to fail, you'll probably also be unwilling to stretch yourself. Okay. Because anything new comes with the possibility of being bad at it initially. Okay. You don't become a leader by waiting until you're perfect. You become a leader by leading. You become better at communicating by having conversations. You get better at making decisions by making decisions. Okay. And you get better at solving problems by solving problems. You know, failure isn't always proof that you're you're you weren't capable. Sometimes failure is simply part of becoming capable. And leaders need to remember that. We need to remember that. We shouldn't expect perfection from somebody who who's still learning. We we should expect effort, ownership, improvement, and integrity. Okay. And another answer, sorry, another answer on, you know, which is going to be on one of our polls or on our poll is is shoot. I just lost my train thought. Oh, fine, financial risk. And that can absolutely be real, even if you're not starting a business. Maybe a new role change, your commission structure changes, and and maybe you're you're thinking about investing in additional education. Maybe you have to buy tools, get certifications, travel, relocate, whatever the case might be. Maybe you're considering changing career paths and taking a temporary step back financially to build towards something bigger. Those are real decisions and they shouldn't be taken lightly. But again, this comes back to calculated risk. Okay. So ask questions, understand the opportunity, understand the cost, understand the timeline, and then decide whether you're willing to make that investment in yourself because sometimes the best return you'll ever receive isn't from a stock or business. It is the return you receive from becoming more valuable. Okay. And then there's self-doubt. Self-doubt. And I think this one hits a lot of people, especially good ones. Okay. Because sometimes the people with the most potential are also the ones asking, am I really ready for this? Meanwhile, somebody who's half as prepared is already raising their hand. We've probably all seen that. Okay. And here's here's what I here's what I want to tell you. Confidence isn't never doubting yourself. Confidence is refusing to let doubt make every decision. You can say, I'm nervous and still do it. You can say, I've never done this and still learn it. You can say, I might not get the position and still apply. Okay. The goal isn't to eliminate doubt. The goal is to stop letting doubt have veto power over your life. Okay. And then there's security. Okay. Then shit. And security is a big one. Okay. Because once we get comfortable, it becomes easy to protect what we already have. And again, there's nothing wrong with being grateful for stability, but sometimes we get so focused on protecting our current position that we stop developing towards our potential. Okay, this is very important. I want everybody to listen because I've seen this too. Okay, they'll hold on to that position, man. We think I know this job. I'm good at this role. I've got this figured out. I don't want the headache of managing people. I don't want to start over learning something else. That's okay. Okay. That's okay if you made the decision intentionally. Everybody doesn't have to become a manager. Everybody doesn't have to climb some corporate ladder. There's nothing wrong with mastering your craft and doing work that you love. Okay. There's nothing wrong with that. But make sure comfort isn't making the decision for you. Okay. There's a difference between both of them. I'm happy where I am, and I'm afraid to find what else I'm capable of. Only you can answer that. Okay. So I wanna want you to think back for a minute. Okay. Which which risk changed your life? And I talked about this this morning a little bit. Which risk changed my life? Okay. Maybe it was yeah, no doubt, Zach. Doubt. Fear. I think it's all fear-based. Maybe it was maybe it was taking your current job. Maybe it was accepting a new position, you know. Maybe, maybe, maybe it was going into the trades when everyone else told you to go to college was the only path. Okay. Think about those moments. You probably weren't completely certain. Okay. But you did it. And after after you do that enough times, something starts to happen. Okay. You you develop evidence. You start looking back and saying, I've learned hard things before. I've stepped into uncomfortable situations before. I've made mistakes before. I've figured things out before. Vic and I have talked about this time and time and time again. Like we'll get ourselves into so many different jackpots that we've never done before, but we kind of do it fearlessly today because we are confident in our ability to figure shit out. And that's where I think it lies. How many times have you figured things out in your past? It could be personal, it could be when you were a kid trying to figure out a puzzle or climb a tree or build a treehouse or whatever the case might be. You and your buddies out there in the backyard figuring stuff out. Go back that far if you have to. And now, listen, now your your confidence isn't coming from pretending everything will work out perfectly. It's coming from knowing I've handled hard things before. I can handle hard things again. That's real confidence. All right, so so let's do let's do today's poll. Okay.

Lead Where You Are Today

Ty Cobb Backer 31:39

I want everyone listening to answer. I want you to answer this one, okay, because I'm really digging these things. I love seeing everybody's comments in there. So the question's gonna be what stops people from betting on themselves? Okay. A would be fear failure, B, financial risk, C, self-doubt, or D security. Drop your answer in the comments and and maybe take it one step further. Okay. Ask yourself, Vic, you got that pulled up over there. Okay, so everybody can see that cool. Okay. So now that we got that, all right, ask yourself, which one is stopping me right now? Because identifying what's holding you back can sometimes be the first step towards doing something about it. Okay. And I want to I want to talk directly to the to the team members here listening. Okay. Don't wait for someone else to care more about your growth than you do. Okay. Your leader should help develop you. Your organization should provide opportunity. Your company should train people. I believe all of that. But ultimately, your growth belongs to you. Read, learn, ask questions, find a mentor, take feedback, volunteer. Become the person people can count on. When you see a problem, don't only bring the problem, bring a freaking idea. When there's an opportunity to help, raise your hand. And when you want more responsibility, start demonstrating that you can handle more responsibility before the title arrives. Don't wait for the promotion to start acting like a leader. Okay. Lead where you are. You don't need a title to be dependable. You don't need a title to encourage people. You don't need a title to protect the company's core values. You don't need a title to help a new team member. Okay. And you don't definitely don't need a title to bet on yourself. Okay. And and leaders, okay. We've we've got work to do too. Okay. Look around your organization. Okay. Who has more potential than they're currently using? Who has been quietly showing up every day? Who who asks good questions? Who takes ownership? Who might be ready for a bigger opportunity? Okay. Sometimes people need someone to push them in just a little. All right. Just push them a little. All right. Sometimes, sometimes we have to say, I see something in you that can change somebody's life. Okay. Whether it's theirs or somebody else's. All right. And here's another part of leadership. Okay. We have to be willing to bet on people too. Not blindly, not without standards, but sometimes leadership means giving someone an opportunity before they're 100% ready. Give them guide rails. Give them accountability. Give them expectations. Coach them. Hold them accountable. But give them a shot. Because if we never trust people with something bigger, how will they ever become capable of something bigger? Drumboy, number two. That's a good one. Okay. Final thoughts. So here's what I want to leave everybody with today. Betting on yourself doesn't mean believing you're the smartest person in the room. Okay. It doesn't mean demanding opportunities you haven't earned. It doesn't mean pretending you're fearless. However, I will. Somebody has to, right? And it doesn't mean knowing everything is going to work out. Okay. Betting on yourself means saying, I believe I can learn. I believe I can learn. I can learn this. Done it. Learned things before. I've done hard shit before. Okay. I believe I can improve. I believe I can take feedback. I believe I can handle responsibility. Okay. And maybe, and most importantly, I think I am willing to do the work. Because eventually an opportunity is going to show up. It could be a project, a promotion, a leadership role, a new responsibility, a chance to learn something, a chance to speak, a chance to learn. And you're going to have to have a choice. You're going to have a choice. Okay. You can wait until you're completely certain. Okay. I'm glad I didn't this morning. Or you can prepare yourself, trust what you've built, raise your hand and say, give me a shot. Sometimes somebody else needs to bet on you too. But eventually, you've got to be willing to bet on yourself too. Okay. So here's today's closing thoughts. I believe I can fly. Peter, you probably do. That's why you got to the top floor office with a window, buddy. John, he's an Eagle fan. Do they sing it? Do they sing that song at the Eagles game? They probably would. Probably do. Anyhow. What's something you'd pursue if you were willing to bet on yourself? Would you pursue a leadership role, learn a new skill, ask for more responsibility, apply for the position, speak up more, go after a certification, mentor somebody, try something you've been afraid to do. What would it be? And maybe, and maybe a better question, what's stopping you? Because sometimes the opportunity isn't waiting for you to become fearless, it's just waiting for you to become willing. Okay. So, anyhow, guys, it's been a long freaking morning for me already. Thank you so much for hanging out with us on episode 352 behind a tool belt. And if you're a leader listening today, look around your organization this week. Find somebody worth betting on. Give somebody an opportunity. Teach somebody something. Encourage somebody. Let somebody know that you see potential in them. And if if you're a team member listening, don't wait for the perfect, perfect opportunity. Start becoming the person who's ready when the opportunity comes. Raise your hand, take ownership, keep learning, keep improving, lead where you are. Okay, because betting on yourself isn't about knowing you'll succeed. It's about believing that you're capable of learning, growing, and becoming the person the next opportunity requires. Keep learning, keep growing, keep leading, and every once in a while bet on yourself. And we will see you next week on Behind the Tool Belt. I was reading Zach's drinking Red Bull now. False hoops. False hoops with wings? Never.

Sponsors And Where To Follow

SPEAKER_00 39:41

Never thanks to our sponsors, TC Backer Construction, Hook Roofing Marketing, Roofal, and Project Map It. And thank you for watching. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook. We are streaming on all major platforms. See you next week for another episode of Behind the Tool Belt.