What's the best way to avoid feeling stupid?

1. Avoid challenging situations
2. Hide your stupidity with bluff and smiles
3. Admit what you don't know and start asking questions
4. Prepare, prepare, and prepare some more 

A client recently admitted to feeling stupid and I was struck by how rarely I hear that admission despite the fact that we all have moments when we feel we should know something we don't or should have done something we didn't. Unfortunately, our reluctance to 'fess up, even to ourselves, is costly:

• We waste time by not asking questions. 
• We waste energy by creating excuses. 
• We throw good money after bad by rationalizing and continuing our previous behavior. 
• We damage relationships by not apologizing. 
• We create inefficiency by letting confusion slide. 
• We miss opportunities by not speaking up. 

And all of these are happening all around us, all day, every day.

Simply because we temporarily forget that we aren't perfect, can't know everything, and aren't like anyone else. For whatever reasons, we are who we are and we know what we know. No explanations, excuses, or apologies are necessary. Accept that starting point and you can move forward quickly.

If you can't agree on objectives, you'll never agree on alternatives. The debt ceiling fiasco is a perfect example. Regardless of the outcome, the process is completely flawed because the debate is all about alternatives, not objectives:

• No tax increases
• No Medicare or Social Security cuts
• Smaller government

"No tax increases" is an alternative, not an objective. We all pay good money for services every single day. Taxes are just one way of paying for services - one alternative. There may be a better way, but let's agree on the services needed first and then examine our alternatives. In countries like Norway, people and businesses are happy to pay taxes because they believe they provide good value. Why aren't we focusing on the value - the objectives?

No Medicare cuts, no Social Security cuts, and smaller government are also just alternatives. Lawmakers of all stripes have locked onto these and similar alternatives and have no intentions of budging. Where is the discussion of objectives? What do we want for the American people? Do we want our citizens to be educated? Do we want roads, police departments, and public parks? Do we want someone ensuring the safety of our food, water, and borders? What do we think should happen to people who encounter disasters and hard times? What are the priorities and truly unavoidable constraints? If there is no agreement on a vision for America, how can we decide how to get there?

Our exasperation with the government leads many to say that it needs to be run more like a business. Well, I've got news for you. I've encountered lots of businesses operating just like the government:

• Debating alternatives without agreeing on objectives
• Operating without a vision of what they want to become
• Focusing more on the features of products and services than on real benefits to customers
• Making across-the-board cuts without taking a good hard look at the strategic impact
• Pursuing short-term goals without enough thought of the future
• Banking on cuts over growth strategies
• Winning at the expense of employees, customers, vendors, community, and the environment as if the company can survive in a vacuum

If any of these describe your business situation, don't wait for a crisis to change your ways.

"The inability to make a decision has often been passed off as patience." 

                        - Author Unknown