Success as an entrepreneur is intoxicating. When your startup begins to scale and people start calling you "Sir" or praising your achievements, it is incredibly easy to develop what I call the "God complex". I meet many young founders who carry this aura of arrogance, believing they are above the people around them.
Whenever someone speaks highly of me, I have a simple response to keep myself grounded:
"I am just a man."
The First Sin — Pride
My core philosophy regarding humility is deeply rooted in my faith. I believe that pride was the first sin ever committed, happening even before the story of the Garden of Eden. Pride is not just a character flaw; it is a weight that eventually pulls a leader down.
If you associate your entire identity with your company or your titles, you become vulnerable. I often ask myself:
- If you remove the "Pilot" wings, who are you?
- If you strip away the "CEO" title and the suit, who are you as a human being?
- Are you someone people would still want to follow if you had nothing to offer them?
The Auto Driver Test
To fight the "God complex," I perform personal experiments to stay connected to reality. Recently, I chose to walk from the airport and use public transport instead of a private car. I spent an hour talking to auto drivers who had absolutely no clue who I was—they didn't know I was a pilot or an award-winning entrepreneur.
I simply engaged with them as one human being to another, asking about their life stories. One driver even gave me a 50-rupee discount just because we had a good conversation. This confirmed a vital truth: great deals are closed, and great relationships are built, by being a good human being, not by being an arrogant CEO.
Leadership Is Shallow Without Humanity
I've observed that the most successful leaders, like Ratan Tata or even Mukesh Ambani, don't necessarily carry a heavy "aura" of power into every room; they can choose to be just another person in the line.
If you are an entrepreneur currently stuck in the "God complex" phase, please understand that it is shallow and fake. The people who talk to you only because of your title will leave the moment that title disappears. Real leadership is about having friends who will stand by you through all seasons of life.
I am not trying to sound humble for the sake of an image; I am trying to stay alive spiritually and professionally. Be a good human being first. The titles and the systems are just tools, but your humanity is your true "Pilot in Command".
Fin.
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