By Beth Shelton | Chief executive officer, Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa

At 22, I was sporting cheap suits and blind ambition, dashing wildly into my career. I was driven by passion and a fiercely competitive spirit. I was self-righteous about what I “knew” and had an incessant desire to drive change. 

I worked for some inspiring people through the years, others who managed reasonably well and even a few I disliked. Regardless of where they rated, I inserted my ideas and solutions into organizational conversations I wasn’t invited to. 

A few decades later, however, I’ve gained an appreciation for tailored suits and lessons learned the hard way. 

The leader’s job is to see the big picture. You may understand your chapter inside and out, but the leader has the entire manuscript. Sometimes you must trust that they have a more complete picture that is guiding organizational decisions. Contribute your knowledge and expertise, acknowledge that they have a larger view, then peacefully trust the process.

Decision-makers cannot implement every good idea. Some smart, innovative ideas will not happen. It doesn’t mean that management is incompetent or complacent. It means they are strategic and have a core focus on what is essential. New initiatives sometimes have complexities and ramifications that aren’t practical to pursue with the current resources.

Smart leaders hire people who make up for their weak spots. It’s not valid to compare your sharpest skills to their weakest. Leaders need the self-awareness to hire rock stars who bring something else to the table. If you’re better at something than your boss, they were smart to hire you.

There were so many things about life and leading people that I didn’t understand; things about motivation, versatility, stress, and the boundless ambiguity and emotional demand that dot the daily landscape of influencing others. What a gift it would be to mentor the person I was, to encourage her to throw her sweater vests and arrogance in the trash and show some grace in her journey. I’d have been far less critical of those tasked with navigating the ship. More importantly, I’d have learned more, connected more and grown more as a person.

Beth Shelton is the chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. Read more about what she wishes her 22-year-old self knew on LinkedInor visit her blog atwww.leadershipambition.com.