In my experience, there are many people who assume that in order to lead, they need to know all the answers or be more experienced than the people they are leading. As a result, they are content to do the things they are asked, and nothing further. They don’t feel they bear any responsibility for the outcome of the project, only their portion, and that someone else, who has all of the answers, will make sure that the entire thing turns out okay. They don’t ask why this fits in with the big picture, they just do what they are told.
The reality however is that leaders are not the ones that have all the answers (I would venture to say the never do), but they are the ones that initiate. They try to understand the bigger picture, and even if they don’t know all that is required, they try to get together the people that do so that progress can be made. They see the goal, they drive toward it.
Don’t shy away from the opportunity to lead just because you assume someone else knows what’s going on, it’s likely they don’t, and they need your help.
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