I was talking with a colleague recently about a big project I am leading at work. It's the single biggest assignment I've had in some time, and I was giving him an update on our weekly progress. His response caught me off guard.

"Wow saeed, I'm really impressed with how you've pulled this off so far," he said. "Your leadership has been exemplary."

I should be proud that someone recognized my mastery in the art of leadership, right? Instead, I had trouble seeing what he was talking about, or what exactly I was doing that warranted his praise. I can't remember a time when a compliment has left me feeling so unworthy.

At its essence, this project involves redesigning an outdated training program for customer service applications - not only adding technical updates, but also a bit of a...