The longer you’re in business, the more you realize: authority doesn’t need to argue.

I recently heard that someone I’ve never met — a competitor in name only — chose to disparage me at a professional event. Not based on my work, not on my results, but on their perception of my role and worth.

After 25+ years in business valuation and more than 10,000 completed reports, I’ve seen every type of professional: the builders, the thinkers, the collaborators — and, occasionally, the insecure.

Insecurity often disguises itself as criticism. But confidence doesn’t need to compete. Those who are truly contributing to their field don’t have time to tear others down — they’re too busy raising standards.

The irony, of course, is that every attempt to diminish someone else’s credibility only reveals a lack of your own.

I don’t measure my success by who talks about me. I measure it by the trust I’ve earned, the clients I’ve served, and the quality of the work I stand behind.

Excellence doesn’t need defense. It leaves a record.