Shyness and disorganization are not traits most people want in corporate executives. Neither is being honest about such traits in front of global media. But Phil Libin, chief executive of (ironically enough) digital note-taking and organization company Evernote, freely admits that he is "not particularly good at many facets of his job." He is "cripplingly shy." Libin says, "If I'm at a party, I'm usually the guy standing to the side pretending to check emails on my phone. But I'm trying really hard to get better. I have handlers who point me at the right person to talk to."

Libin never had a management job before the success of the business launched him and a close team of fellow programmers to be big news. Even that choice—Libin as CEO—came because he was the weakest programmer on the team. But Libin also knows his strengths. He recently said, "I suppose that what I'm better than most at is pulling together other people's good ideas in a whole."

Possible Preaching Angle:

His modesty is honest, and a reminder that it's not only our strengths that define us, but that defying expectations is actually a way to redefine them.