There are people you meet in your career who quietly (or not so quietly) recalibrate your understanding of leadership. For me, Donald Miller is one of them. 

Don’t let the best-selling-author/speaker/entrepreneur résumé fool you – his greatest talent isn’t just storytelling. It’s self-awareness. It’s humility. And it’s the ability to grow without losing the thread of who he is.

That’s why I love going to author retreats with him (or anywhere for that matter).  I’ve learned so much from watching how he leads, and why I’m thrilled to bring his story to episode three of Becoming Self Made.

Don didn’t start out wanting to build a powerhouse company like StoryBrand. He wanted to write one good book. Maybe two. That’s it. But life had other plans, and not always pretty ones. His first book underperformed. He made a bad investment and lost his entire life savings. He hit walls that would’ve taken most people out.

But here’s what Don did differently:
He let failure crush his ego, not his ambition.

Instead of spiraling into “I’m not cut out for this,” he asked better questions:
What did this failure teach me about my assumptions? My skills? My blind spots?

Don treated failure like data; useful, unemotional, and incredibly clarifying. Every misstep gave him direction. Every setback helped him refine the kind of creator, entrepreneur, and leader he wanted to become.

As Don grew, he learned that growth always has a price.
Time. Energy. Relationships. Beliefs you swore were “the way.”

Week 3 of our pilot series of Becoming Self Made is all about scaling, and Don nails the message:
You’re never “done.”

Real growth requires:

trusting your team more than your own control-freak tendencies,hiring people who are self-directed because you know you aren’t a micromanager,staying curious about your limitations instead of pretending they’re strengths,and adapting your business model when the world shifts around you.

When AI started changing the marketing landscape, Don didn’t stiff-arm it. He changed StoryBrand’s entire service model to leverage it. That’s leadership over comfort. That’s growth over fear.

And it leads to the most important question Don poses in this episode:
Who’s helping you grow… and who’s holding you back?

Because scaling isn’t about bigger.
It’s about becoming braver. Clearer.
More honest about the way you work, and the way you don’t.

This episode is a masterclass in humility and evolution from someone who’s still in the arena, doing the work, and asking the right questions.

If you’re a founder, entrepreneur, or builder of any kind, do not miss this story. 

Let this one challenge you. In the best way possible. Catch Donald Miller’s full conversation with me on Episode 3 of our six-part pilot season of Becoming Self Made, a Relay podcast hosted by me, Mike Michalowicz.
DOWNLOAD HERE and listen in!

New episodes drop every Tuesday for six amazing weeks!

The post The Real Cost of Growth – and Why Don Miller Keeps Teaching Me This Lesson appeared first on Mike Michalowicz.