Acutely Aware of My Ignorance and Incompetence

In my last post I listed a number of my draft posts and asked if anyone wanted me to finish and publish any one of them.  David @ Lead.Learn.Live voted for the second item on the list: Acutely Aware of My Ignorance and Incompetence.

So here we go … Nice title, huh.  Yea, it is about me.  It is about you too.

As leaders we all have those moments when we are not sure what to do.  We do not understand what is going on around us.  We struggle to decide on a next step.  Leaders deal with the known, but also the unknown.

We question ourselves and our ability.  Far from a bad thing, I find this enduring for a leader.

When I speak of my ignorance and incompetence, it is an awareness that I do not have all the answers.  For a leader this can be a powerful statement.  It speaks to an important trait of a leader … to remain humble.

From this humble state we seek answers.  We remain students and focus on learning.  We understand the need to include others who have the experience and knowledge that we lack.  My ignorance, my incompetence, is a leadership strength.

Knowledge is not a possession; it is a process.  Our capacity to learn is limitless.

Weak leaders have arrived.  Strong leaders continue the journey.   With each step I leave ignorance and incompetence behind.  Only to turn a corner and journey forth anew.