WE ARE ALL DUMB [at first].

we_are_all_dumb

MIKE NATALIZIO
CEO at HNI

In Seth Godin’s new book What to Do When It's Your Turn he talks about the overwhelming fear of feeling stupid that many of us possess.

No one wants to look dumb. Or like they’re not on their A game. Or like it’s their first rodeo.

But hey, we all have a first rodeo. The only thing worse than getting bucked off of the horse is deciding to never get on.

A better way to think about our “greenness” is to view it as pre-learning state. We are all dumb when it comes to a particular subject… until we aren’t.

Change is not the enemy

Change makes us all feel dumb – because no one knows for certain what’s coming next, or exactly what they should do to look like they have it all figured out.

When we change, we feel dumb. When we feel dumb, we feel afraid, and it makes us pull back. So the gut instinct tells us that change is the problem.

Change isn’t – the fear is. Throw fear out the window and lean into the kind change that makes your organization better, faster, stronger.

P.S. - Seth Godin inspires us. You can learn more by picking up his latest book or checking out his blog.