Never Too Senior to Be Wrong, Never Too Junior to Be Right

We were rushing through a short layover in London, and I was already stressed. I had one simple mission: find my niece’s favorite chocolate. Something I couldn’t find in the US and really wanted to surprise her with. Because time was tight, I told my wife and kids to wait at the gate while I made a quick run to the airport store. My then six-year-old daughter insisted on coming with me. I agreed, but with one clear condition: we were in a hurry, and she wouldn’t ask me to buy anything for her. She smiled and agreed. At the store, I was frantically scanning shelf after shelf, mentally calculating how much time I had left. I checked one particular shelf carefully and moved on, convinced the chocolate wasn’t there.

In the background, I kept hearing, “Papa… Papa…” I felt myself getting slightly annoyed. I assumed she was about to ask for something, forgetting our agreement. I turned toward her, ready to remind her of what she had promised. Before I could say a word, she pointed quietly at the shelf.

Right there! The chocolate I had been looking for. On the very shelf I was sure I had already checked.

I paused.

In that moment, I realized something powerful. I had experience. I had urgency. I was confident I knew better. And yet, I was wrong.

About a year later, while attending a masterclass featuring Navy SEALs, I heard a principle that immediately brought me back to that moment with my daughter.

You are never too senior to be wrong, and you are never too junior to be right.

The connection was instant!

This principle is simple, yet we often forget it, especially in professional settings. In many workplaces, senior leaders struggle to talk openly about failure. Junior team members hesitate to voice their opinions. Sometimes they are not encouraged to speak up at all, or worse, they are discouraged from trying and failing. Hierarchy, titles, and experience can quietly silence insight.

Real growth, innovation, and connection do not come from always being right. They come from humility, curiosity, and the willingness to listen.

That moment with my daughter reminded me that experience matters, but it does not guarantee being right. Intuition can come from anywhere.

Confidence often makes us speak. Courage allows us to listen.

This lesson applies far beyond the workplace... in families, in relationships, in life.

How often do we miss something important because we assume we already know? How often do we overlook wisdom simply because of where it comes from?

The most meaningful insights often come from unexpected places, if we are humble enough to notice them.

Sometimes, leadership is not about having all the answers.

It is about listening well enough to discover them.