Who is that girl I see?

Alex told me he feels really weird talking to clients and recommending things when he’s not 100% sure about what he’s saying. He thinks he’s not good enough and shouldn’t be doing this job anymore. Should he quit?

Listen, you have to give yourself some grace. The smartest person doesn’t know everything about everything. If you’re getting positive feedback, you are doing something right. Make sure you write that feedback down and remember it. That’ll help you not only during performance reviews, but when you’re feeling like you’re not up to par.

The flip side of that is speaking about things you know absolutely nothing about. You can’t just do that, though some people try. I saw some posts on LinkedIn about what it’s like to start and own a company when I know that person has never founded a company.

I’ve also spoken with someone who told me they’re an expert in Integrations, but when I asked if they were familiar with Benefits, they started telling me things about Advanced Compensation. I am not an Integrations expert, but those things don’t add up.

Do NOT lie. Ever.

What if it’s a half truth? Maybe you know a little bit, but not enough to really answer the question. Again, not knowing everything does not make you a fraud as long as you don’t lie. It’s okay to ask for a little time to confirm if their requirements are viable and do some research. “I’ve done something similar to that before but let me see if this is possible.”

What if you are confidently wrong? This happens to the best of us because we think we know things, especially the higher level you are. When you learn that you were wrong, own it. Laugh about it. Think about why it happened and how to get it right the next time.

What if you forget to ask all the questions? This also happens to the best of us. It’s best to think through all of your questions in advance and write them down, but 9 times out of 10, there will be an oddball question that you weren’t prepared to ask about. You don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Explain that you want to make sure you get this right for them and need to confirm one or two more things before moving forward. Usually, people will be understanding as they also want you to get it right. If they’re not understanding, again, give yourself grace. It happens. Write down the questions you would have asked for next time.

At the end of the day, the difference between us and AI is that we’re human. AI is 90% of the time confidently wrong. You’re not an imposter because you make a mistake. You were chosen to be in the role for a reason. Everyone has a bad day and even Superman has kryptonite. As Taylor Swift would say, “Shake It Off.” Now, get some rest and get back out there.

Reply to this e-mail and let me know what you like, what you don’t like, or future topics you’d like to see. This is for you!