What’s something I’ve done that I never thought I could?

Be a CEO.

There. I said it. The woman who thought she was too introverted to lead an entire organization is apparently a natural at running one. Who knew?

I certainly didn’t.

I never fully understood what being a CEO entailed. I knew about strategy, budgets, boards, and the occasional meeting that could have been an email. But I didn’t appreciate the peculiar magic of holding two entirely different perspectives at once: the microscopic details of one person’s problem and the enormous, sprawling mission of an entire organization.

The person in front of you. The 500 people behind them. The mission. The money. The future. All at once. No pressure!

I always assumed my introversion would be a liability. Surely, CEOs were supposed to be relentlessly outgoing people who collected handshakes like Pokémon and thrived on being the center of attention.

Turns out, I like people. I like connecting, figuring things out, taking on big missions, and making things happen. I just also like being alone afterward.

Apparently, I’m an extroverted introvert. I can lead the room and then fantasize about being left alone in one.

Maybe that’s not a contradiction. Maybe it’s an advantage. You need to zoom in close enough to understand people and zoom out far enough to see where everyone is going. You need to listen, decide, connect, and occasionally have the nerve to do something nobody has done before.

The biggest surprise isn’t that I can be a CEO. It’s that I love being one.

Funny how life works. Sometimes the person you thought you were isn’t the person you discover you can be.

And sometimes your next chapter comes with a corner office, a spreadsheet, and 500 people waiting for you to figure it out.

Imposter syndrome, please take a seat. The CEO has work to do.