A Lion Doesn’t Need to Tell the Jungle It’s a Lion

Recently, I was trying to think about some of the things I see successful people do.

And the very first thing that came to mind was this: truly successful people don’t have to announce themselves.

Their behavior, the way they hold themselves, the way they talk and listen, and the way they capture the room; those things make it obvious they’re successful.

A lion doesn’t tell the jungle it’s a lion.

It’s that quiet, powerful, ‘get s**t done’ mentality that you often find in successful people.

And it might not even be about financial success. You could meet a priest who has this quality. A nurse. An entrepreneur.

It’s people who have that quiet determination about them that somehow, they’ll make it. A silent confidence, without a shred of arrogance.

Real leaders don’t need validation from other people.

Yet these days, there’s a culture around being a bit flashy – like when you shake someone’s hand and it’s their watch that greets you first. Or they’re wearing a certain jacket. Or they drive a certain car.

Of course, I know a lot of great people who have those things, but there’s no showing off around it.

It’s just part of them. They wear designer trainers because they like them, simple as that. But flashy people wear them because they think other people like them.

And that’s a very different thing.

So when you see these so-called gurus and online coaches and mentors on Instagram, it makes you wonder.

Is the image and lifestyle they’ve created there to impress others? Or does their image genuinely represent who they are?

Because I’ve often met super successful entrepreneurs who just wear a hoodie and joggers. No expensive watch, no fresh-out-the-box trainers.

Even Banksy looks like a hobo, apparently.

And he’s one of the most successful artists of our era.

Sometimes, even I worry that I look like I’m flexing. I’m about to spend two weeks in the Borneo jungle with my wife, and I’ve talked about that quite a bit. I post a lot of stuff about what I’m up to or the wins we’ve had.

Cool places I’ve been, awesome people I’ve met.

But I also post some of the s**t I’ve got going on.

I’m not saying everything’s amazing all the time; there’s a balance. But these days, I’m seeing a constant stream of people flexing about absolute nonsense. There’s no authenticity there whatsoever.

Anyway, why is this important? Because the people align yourself with are a direct representation of you.

So you might as well embrace who you really are.

Only then will you attract the right people towards you. Surrounding yourself with the right people – people who hold the same values – is another thing that sets successful people apart.

And that applies with everything; clients, suppliers, staff, mates, relationships.

That’s something I’ve tried to do, too.

I have solid friends around me, and I also have people I really look up to, who’ve been where I am or have overcome similar challenges with growing their business.

Because you learn so much from other people’s mistakes, as well as their successes.

Sometimes I think we avoid connecting with people we look up to, especially when they’ve done something we want to learn about. But it’s so hard to be like: ‘Oh, can you just explain that to me’ because you don’t want to look stupid.

Who cares? Ask stupid questions.

You’re only a fool for a minute. Besides, a truly successful person wouldn’t judge you for asking a question.

The only people who would are the people trying to make themselves feel better. And those are the real flexors.

I know of a few people who are true lions.

There are guys like Gary V. He’s not overstated, he’s just himself. A jeans and hoodie guy.

But he also projects this unshakable sense of a busy guy who’s genuinely passionate about entrepreneurship and doesn’t honestly give a f**k what anyone thinks of him.

And he’s right to do that, because he knows that you can’t control what other people think.

Why bother trying to impress them?

Another lion is Simon Squibb. Considering he’s a multi-multimillionaire, he isn’t overstated at all. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, but still very human and open to conversation. Codie Sanchez is another.

Now, that’s not to say you need to look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge to be authentically successful.

I mean, if I walked into Codebreak tomorrow with a monocle and diamond crusted cane, you’d know I was flexing because I’m also usually a jeans and hoodie guy.

It’s more about being unapologetically yourself.

Whoever you really are. Because your reputation will precede you – good or bad.

So if you find yourself having to say: “Have you seen my new watch?” or: “Did you know that on average my clients get a 10x return?” or: “Have you seen the headlines, they’re about me?”

Then you’re probably not as successful as you think you are.

The lion doesn’t need to tell the jungle; it just gets on with being a lion.

But everyone else steps aside when it walks in.

Don’t miss the next episode of Stay Hungry – we’ll dive into straight-talking insights on business marketing, growth mindset, and the realities of running a business. And if you want to take the hassle out of your marketing, we’ve got you covered with our done-for-you service.