The Zen master Shunryu Suzuki famously said, 'In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.' For leaders, this is quietly radical: the confidence we often perform — the certainty, the decisive posture — can actually close us off from the room. Real leadership presence isn't the absence of doubt; it's the willingness to stay genuinely open while still acting. The leader who walks into a difficult conversation already knowing the answer has already failed half the people in it.

Where in your leadership — or daily life — are you performing certainty to avoid the discomfort of not knowing?

Drawing from Zen Buddhism — Shunryu Suzuki