"Know thyself"

My best friend called me this evening. He needed to speak to me right then. Immediately. He was in the car, en route to an impromptu dinner with his boss. His boss usually works out of the Chicago office, had just arrived in Denver for a meeting tomorrow (unrelated to any of my friend's projects), and wanted to take my friend out to dinner when he was in town.

My best friend was freaking out. What did his boss want? What was it that could only be said, face to face? Was he in trouble? What had he done, or hadn't he done, that would cause his boss to arrive in Denver on Monday night for a Tuesday afternoon meeting? His self doubt was really sad.

I told him what I truly thought, "Your boss thinks it would be weird to be in Denver and not see you." I waited by the phone for about 90 minutes, just to make sure I was right. I was.

He's good at his job! He's not the best marketer I've ever worked with, but he's solid. He has very good people skills. I tell him this all the time. It's never enough.

I have a lot of faults and many weaknesses. But I know what I can and can't do. I know that just because someone says something to me, it doesn't make it true. I'm neither as good, nor as bad, as bosses have told me over the years.

If I could give my friend anything, it would be a little more self confidence, a little less self doubt, and a bit more self knowledge.

But I can't, can I? All I can do is support him as best I can.