"Every leader feels dumb at times..."

A thought by Chad Veach from his book, I Work with People (p. 54). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Now every leader could agree with that if they were honest. 

Chad says, "Every leader feels dumb at times, but what you do with that feeling has the potential to make or break your leadership. Once in a while (maybe frequently), you will feel awkward, like a misfit, like you don’t measure up to expectations. That is okay. It’s actually a gift, if you know how to handle it correctly. Can you imagine how much healthier, how much more fun and relaxed, and how much more empowering leadership would be if we could all learn to enjoy the feeling of not being the smartest person in the room, rather than feeling threatened by it?"

He goes on, "I’m not saying you don’t have to grow or change, either, but you are who you are. You can’t completely change that, and you shouldn’t try. Rather, you should lean in to the uniqueness of who you were made to be. Your 'odd bird' passions and your 'feeling dumb' moments simply remind you of your uniqueness.

"So how is awkward a gift? (And remember, by 'awkward' I mean the ways you don’t fit the mold: your quirkiness, your nerdiness, and even your shortcomings . . . or at least your shortcomings as defined by your expectations or the expectations of others.) Awkward can be a gift for one of two reasons: it can point to areas in which you are uniquely gifted, like Sebastian Thrun and his propensity for technology; and it can highlight genuine areas of lack where you need to either improve or bring others alongside you. Either way, being awkward is not something to fear, resent, or—worst of all—hide. Instead, acknowledge it. Lean into it. Learn from it. Let it help guide what you focus on or what you choose to leave for someone else."

He then says, "You can only do so much; you can only be good at so many things. Discover what you are good at or could be good at, what you like, what drives you. Then leverage who you are to accomplish what only you can accomplish. You’ll never be successful at being somebody else, but you certainly can become a better version of you. And along the way, your honesty and willingness to staff your weaknesses will help others step into their potential as well."

Now, that is liberating, isn't it"

Yes, yes!