Leadership Reflection
One of the easiest traps to fall into as a leader or expert is assuming we already understand. That assumption — even when subtle — shuts down curiosity, slows progress, and can quietly place the burden of clarity on everyone but ourselves.
Nino Chavez
Product Architect at commerce.com
We don’t grow by knowing — we grow by questioning.
Epictetus said:
“It is impossible to learn that which one thinks one already knows.”
In my own experience, this shows up most clearly when things start to feel stuck — when the team is spinning on a problem or a solution just isn’t landing. I’ve learned to use that moment of frustration or confusion as a trigger to ask: “What am I not understanding?”
It’s a small shift, but it’s everything. Instead of defaulting to “they’re not explaining it clearly” or “this shouldn’t be that hard,” I turn the lens inward. Not from a place of blame, but from a place of curiosity. Often, my own incredulous reactions are really masking that internal voice asking: “Am I dumb? What am I missing here?”
But that question is actually a superpower — a signal that there’s something valuable I haven’t seen yet.
As leaders, we model the culture we want. If we stay coachable, open to reframing, and willing to admit when we don’t get it… our teams will too.