The Myth of "Figuring It All Out"

Card of the Day: "I can be a work in progress and help others at the same time."

When I first got promoted to lead the marketing team, I was 25, had zero management experience, and absolutely no blueprint for how to do it “right.” I wasn’t handed a playbook. I didn’t have a mentor walking me through my first one-on-ones or team meetings. What I did have was a gut feeling that something needed to change...

Before the promotion, I had spoken up - called out the way my former manager was doing a disservice to our team, our office, and the entire marketing function. I knew we deserved better. And then, in a twist I didn’t see coming, I became the person expected to be that better.

Let me be clear: I was not “ready” in the traditional sense. I didn’t have all the answers. I was still figuring out my own style, my voice, my confidence. But what I did have was conviction... and a refusal to be a hypocrite. If I had pointed out what wasn’t working, I damn sure was going to lead us toward something that did.

So I showed up. Every day. Sometimes unsure, often learning in real time, always committed. I listened more than I talked. I advocated for fair compensation, for team respect, for a culture of collaboration. I made mistakes, and I owned them. I was very much a work in progress - and I still am - but I was also building something better, one decision at a time.

And that’s the truth we don’t talk about enough: you don’t have to have it all together to lead. You don’t need to be perfect to make a difference. You just have to care enough to try, to learn, and to keep going.

Progress and impact aren’t opposites... they walk hand in hand.

So here’s your reminder: You can still be figuring it out and be a damn good leader. You can be messy and meaningful, unsure and unstoppable.

Keep growing. Keep helping. Keep showing up.

There’s power in being in progress.

-CC