When selling cross-culturally, it's better to admit you're not an expert. Do your research, but also state that you understand you don't live in their world and what you've learned may not be perfectly accurate. This humility builds more trust than pretending to be a cultural insider, which can backfire.

When entering a new domain, don't feign expertise. Build trust faster by openly admitting "I don't know" and explicitly leaning on stakeholders for their subject matter knowledge. This positions you as a partner who values their expertise, rather than an outsider imposing solutions.

True self-awareness involves publicly admitting your weaknesses. By openly stating what you're bad at (e.g., 'I suck at 99% of things'), you build immense credibility and trust when you then declare your strengths. This approach validates your expertise in your core competencies.

True growth and access to high-level opportunities come not from feigning knowledge, but from openly admitting ignorance. This vulnerability invites mentorship and opens doors to conversations where real learning occurs, especially in complex fields like investing, which may otherwise seem like a "scam."

Salespeople often focus on being 'coachable' (receptive to feedback). A more powerful trait is humility—the proactive asking for help and recognition that success is a team effort. Humility unlocks collaboration and support, getting you further, faster than simply being open to advice.

First-time leaders often feel pressure to have all the answers. Instead, they should embrace a "beginner's mind," openly admitting what they don't know. This creates a safe environment for the team to share mistakes and learn collaboratively, which is crucial for building a playbook from scratch.

Stanford's famous "Interpersonal Dynamics" course teaches a counterintuitive leadership principle: sharing personal vulnerabilities and imperfections doesn't weaken a leader's position. Instead, it builds trust and fosters stronger connections, shifting relationships from a mystery to something one can actively shape through authentic behavior.

Junior reps can leverage their inexperience by approaching lower-level employees with a humble "Teach me" or "Help me understand" posture. This disarms prospects, turning a sales pitch into a collaborative learning session that builds rapport and extracts valuable internal intelligence for later use.

A simple act of pausing to ask for clarification when you don't understand something demonstrates genuine engagement and active listening. This small gesture can be more persuasive to a prospect than a flawless pitch, as it shows you are prioritizing understanding over just speaking.