How to Lead When You’re Not the Expert?
Feel out of your depth as a leader? Learn how top leaders like Warren Buffett and Elon Musk guide teams without knowing all the answers.
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Summary
- Great leaders focus on guiding, empowering, and aligning their team — not being the smartest person in the room.
- Asking thoughtful questions and embracing curiosity fosters trust, innovation, and better decision-making.
- Authenticity and strategic vision matter more than technical expertise when building high-performing teams.
Here’s how to lead confidently and effectively, even when your technical expertise doesn’t match your team's.
Table of Contents
- Shift Your Mindset: Embrace the Guide Role — Warren Buffett
- Ask Great Questions — Satya Nadella
- Build Trust Through Authenticity — Howard Schultz
- Delegate Without Abdicating Responsibility — Elon Musk
- Invest in Building Relationships — Richard Branson
- Focus on the Bigger Picture — Jeff Bezos
- Promote a Culture of Continuous Learning — Jack Ma
- Celebrate Successes — and Failures — Sara Blakely
- The Bottom Line
Shift Your Mindset: Embrace the Guide Role
One of the leaders' biggest mistakes is thinking they must have all the answers. Leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room; it’s about being the one who sets the direction, aligns the team, and removes obstacles.Start by reframing your role. You’re not there to dictate solutions; you’re there to guide the team toward collective success.
Why It Matters:
Trying to fake expertise can destroy trust. Acknowledging your limitations and focusing on facilitating the team’s brilliance fosters transparency and respect.
Practical Advice:
Be upfront about your role as a facilitator. For example, during a meeting, say, “I’m here to ensure we’re all aligned and have what we need to move forward. I’ll lean on your expertise for the technical details.” This simple statement clarifies roles and sets the tone for collaboration.
Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors, openly admits he doesn’t run the companies Berkshire Hathaway invests in. Instead, he empowers CEOs to execute their vision while providing strategic oversight. Buffett’s role is about enabling success rather than controlling the details.
Ask Great Questions
When you lack technical knowledge, your greatest asset is curiosity. Asking thoughtful questions not only helps you understand the landscape but also encourages your team to think critically.Why It Works:
Good questions demonstrate engagement and show that you value the team’s expertise. It also helps uncover gaps, assumptions, and innovative ideas.
Practical Advice: Prepare a set of open-ended questions before team discussions. Instead of asking, “Is this the right approach?” try, “What alternatives have we considered, and why do we believe this is the best option?” Focus on questions that stimulate analysis and discussion rather than yes/no answers.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, is known for asking questions that drive deeper thinking. When he led Microsoft’s shift to cloud computing, he asked his team to explain their assumptions and consider alternative paths. His questioning boosted innovation and helped Microsoft regain industry leadership.
Build Trust Through Authenticity
Nothing undermines leadership faster than pretending to know what you don’t. Your team doesn’t expect you to be an expert in everything, but they do expect honesty.Being genuine about your strengths and weaknesses builds credibility and encourages a culture where others feel safe admitting what they don’t know.
Why It’s Crucial:
Trust is the foundation of effective teams. Without it, even the most skilled team members will hesitate to share concerns or ideas, fearing judgment or dismissal.
Practical Advice:
Be candid about areas where you lack expertise, but pair that with a willingness to learn. For example, say, “I’m not well-versed in this system, but I trust your judgment. Teach me the key points I need to understand to support you effectively.”
Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, frequently shared stories about his journey, including his challenges and missteps. His transparency and authenticity created trust, enabling his team to work collaboratively and innovate.
Delegate Without Abdicating Responsibility
Delegation isn’t about dumping tasks; it’s about empowering others while staying connected to the outcome.As a leader, your job is to ensure progress without micromanaging or distancing yourself from the process.
Why Leaders Fail Here:
Many leaders either overstep, trying to control every detail, or step back too far, leaving the team without direction. Both extremes cause frustration and inefficiency.
Practical Advice:
Clearly define the decision-making framework. For example, set boundaries like, “I’ll need to sign off on final recommendations, but you have full autonomy to explore solutions and present your proposal.” This ensures accountability without undermining trust in your team.
Elon Musk famously delegates key responsibilities to experts in SpaceX and Tesla. While he sets the vision and direction, he trusts his teams to execute. Musk remains involved in major decisions, ensuring alignment without overshadowing his team’s expertise.
Invest in Building Relationships
When you lack technical expertise, relationships are your lifeline. Strong relationships foster open communication, making it easier for team members to voice concerns, share insights, and collaborate effectively.Why It’s Overlooked: Leaders often focus on tasks and results, neglecting the relational side of leadership. But without strong relationships, even the best strategies can falter.
Practical Advice:
Take time to understand each team member’s strengths, motivations, and challenges. Regular one-on-ones focused on personal development, not just project updates, can go a long way. Ask questions like, “What’s one thing I can do to better support you?” and act on the feedback.
Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, prioritizes building personal connections with his team. He’s known for his empathetic approach, regularly engaging with employees and ensuring they feel heard. This relational focus drives loyalty and innovation across his companies.
Focus on the Bigger Picture
Your value as a leader lies in keeping the team aligned with the broader goals and strategy. While your team dives into technical details, you should focus on connecting their work to the overall mission.Why It Matters:
Without strategic alignment, even the most competent team can waste effort on work that doesn’t move the needle. Your job is to ensure their expertise translates into meaningful impact.
Practical Advice:
Regularly connect individual tasks to the organization’s goals. For example, in a project update, say, “This solution aligns with our goal of improving customer retention because it reduces downtime by 20%.” This reinforces the importance of their work and keeps them motivated.
Jeff Bezos at Amazon famously maintained a customer-centric vision while allowing his teams to innovate in areas like cloud computing and logistics. Bezos ensured the work aligned with Amazon’s mission to be “Earth’s most customer-centric company.”
Promote a Culture of Continuous Learning
Great leaders don’t just lead — they learn. Demonstrating curiosity and a willingness to expand your own knowledge encourages the same behaviour in your team. It also shows you’re invested in the work beyond just managing it.Why It’s Effective:
Teams that prioritize learning outperform those that don’t. A leader who models this behaviour sets the tone for growth and innovation.
Practical Advice:
Participate in team learning sessions or workshops, even if you’re not the expert. Afterwards, share what you learned and how it changed your perspective. For example, say, “After today’s session, I better understand the challenges you face with XYZ. Let’s discuss how we can tackle this together.”
Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, often speaks about his hunger for learning, even in areas outside his expertise. His willingness to adapt and seek out knowledge inspired his team to continuously improve and innovate.
Celebrate Successes — and Failures
Acknowledging wins is important, but so is recognizing the value of learning from mistakes. When the team sees you celebrate effort and resilience, they’ll feel more empowered to take calculated risks.Why It’s Powerful:
A culture that only celebrates success stifles innovation. Embracing failures as learning opportunities encourages experimentation and growth.
Practical Advice:
During retrospectives, highlight both wins and lessons learned. For instance, say, “This project didn’t go as planned, but the insights we gained will make us stronger next time. Great work identifying the root causes so quickly.”
The Bottom Line
Leadership isn’t about being the technical expert; it’s about enabling the experts to do their best work. By embracing your role as a guide, asking great questions, building trust, and focusing on strategic alignment, you can lead with confidence and create an environment where your team thrives.The next time you feel out of your depth, remember: great leaders aren’t defined by what they know but by how effectively they empower those who do.