Great Leaders Don’t Have to Be Great at Everything—Here’s Why

I have a confession: I’m really bad at Excel.

This wasn’t always easy for me to admit. Years ago, I sat at my desk, staring at a massive data file my boss had asked me to compile into a spreadsheet and pivot table. He needed the final presentation by that afternoon.

“Of course!” I said confidently, despite the wave of dread building in my stomach. I opened the file, formatted it as a .csv, and began populating my sheet. But it didn’t take long before I realized I was out of my depth. I spent the next hour or so Googling formulas and dragging them cell-by-cell in what I’m sure was the slowest and most ineffective method imaginable. Even then, I was certain the results would be far from accurate.

As the clock ticked away, it became clear that I needed to come clean. I wasn’t going to deliver what my boss had asked for—not at the level expected, and not in the timeframe given.

With my heart pounding, I walked into his office. My mind was a swirl of self-doubt and internal criticism. “Who gets this far in their career without mastering Excel?” “Why didn’t you learn this sooner?” “What if you lose your job over this? This proves you shouldn’t be at this level!”

What happened next, though, changed my perspective forever. I told him I had something to confess: “I’m really terrible and slow with Excel. I want to get you that report, but it’s taking me forever, and I’m worried I’m making mistakes.”

He looked at me for a moment before asking, “How do you usually complete your reports?” I explained that I had a fantastic team—true experts in data analysis—who I always worked with when I needed a magical spreadsheet or pivot table. I told him they usually needed less than an hour to produce exactly what I needed, and I was certain they could do what he was asking for.

He smiled and asked, “Natalie, do you think we hired you because we thought you were great at Excel?”

Of course not. At the time, I was leading our sales and customer experience teams, guiding our strategy, and making impactful decisions. He reminded me I was in this role because I was a strong leader who knew how to get things done and deliver results. He valued my ability to understand our complex business dynamics and communicate that effectively across teams. He didn’t care who made the presentation—as long as it got done. In fact, he told me it was a poor use of my time to try to do it myself. He wanted me to leverage my team, stay focused on what I did best, and still deliver the report by the end of the day.

I walked out of his office with a renewed sense of purpose. I called on my team, and they came through beautifully—delivering a polished, accurate report in record time. It was a vivid reminder that great leaders don’t need to be great at everything. They need to be honest about their weaknesses, know when to ask for help, and—most importantly—trust and empower their team to excel in areas where they themselves may not.

From that experience, I learned some crucial lessons:

1. Know your strengths—and your weaknesses. It’s okay not to be a pro in every aspect of your role. Acknowledge where you fall short and hire team members whose expertise fills those gaps.
2. Be honest and vulnerable. Admitting you’re struggling with something doesn’t make you a weaker leader; it makes you a more authentic one. In fact, it opens the door to collaboration and reinforces a culture of trust.
3. Leverage your team’s strengths. If someone else can do the job better, faster, and more accurately than you—let them. Focus on the work only you can do. After all, leadership is about making sure the right people are working on the right tasks at the right time.

We often fall into the trap of believing we need to do it all ourselves. But true leadership isn’t about being good at everything. It’s about knowing how to get things done by building a strong team with diverse skillsets. It’s about trusting your people and embracing your vulnerability.

Looking back, being “bad at Excel” turned out to be a defining moment for me. It taught me to prioritize my energy where I could make the biggest impact and to surround myself with experts who thrive in areas where I don’t. And, ultimately, it was a reminder that you don’t have to be a rockstar at everything; you just need to know how to play your part in making sure your team, and your organization, shines.

?? A bit more about me:

I’m Natalie Ruiz, CEO of AnswerConnect , and I often say that my path to success has been unconventional. My journey has fueled my drive to continually challenge assumptions about what work, success, and balance in life really look like. Along the way, I’ve been honored to receive awards such as Female Executive of the Year and Women Helping Women from the Stevie Award Association, one of the 100 Women to Know in America, as well as being named a Woman of Influence by the Portland Business Journal.

Outside of my day job, I’m passionate about giving back. I volunteer, speak on international stages, share my insights through podcasts and publications, and always aim to leave people and places better than I find them.

Connect with me here: on Medium, or here on LinkedIn

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