The Arrogance Trap: Why VA Ego Is a Career Killer

Arrogance is what kills most careers in digital marketing.

While the loudest VAs push for recognition and complain about unfair treatment, they often miss the most crucial truth of all: performance, not posturing, is what moves the needle.

Humility is the gateway to mastery

At BlitzMetrics, we operate by a simple rule: active listening fuels growth. But listening isn’t just hearing words, it’s accepting you don’t already have the answers. That takes humility. And humility is rare among those afflicted by what we call the Dunning-Kruger.

People often equate blind confidence with competence. But experience (not excitement) is what leads to mastery. Just like you wouldn’t want a loud, untrained intern performing heart surgery, we don’t need untrained VAs lecturing mentors who’ve built million-dollar systems.

Confidence isn’t enough. Confidence without competence is dangerous.

Performance is the only currency

Here, your words don’t matter; your work does.

The best VAs are practitioners. They follow the MAA process: Metrics → Analysis → Action. They don’t rely on sentiment or emotion to make their case.

Entitlement is not a strategy

Some VAs think raising their voice gets them promoted. They interpret corrective feedback as disrespect. And when performance doesn’t align with pay, they cry injustice, forgetting that we reward outcomes, not potential.

If you want to be paid more, do more. Show it in your output, not in your arguments.

This is not about discrimination. It’s about standards. It’s about consistency. It’s about removing bottlenecks that slow down the entire team, where one person drains leadership time and energy.

Real practitioners build the system

Practitioners like Danny Leibrandt are worth their weight in gold. He doesn’t ask for permission or praise, he produces.

The bottleneck isn’t training. It’s ego. The antidote? Active listening, feedback loops, humility.

We admire team members who own their mistakes and ask how they can do better. That’s the foundation of trust and the definition of a growth mindset.

Final word: Don’t be the clown at the circus

If you’re not careful, the VA industry starts to resemble a carnival, people shouting over each other with no real skill or authority. They chase clout instead of competence.

We’re not interested in circus performers. We build real skills through disciplined repetition, systems, and documentation. We respect VAs who do the hard, unglamorous work consistently and keep learning.

Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations. He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications. Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries. Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.