Shami Says ‘No One Asked Me’ – The Truth About Missed Opportunities
Mohammad Shami said no one contacted him for England tour but selectors had messaged and offered him matches. He refused saying he was not ready. Same thing hap...
Avinash Chate - Corporate Training Expert at team building workshop The Career Cost of Saying ‘I’m Not Ready’ I recently reflected on a powerful lesson from a public moment involving Mohammad Shami. The conversation was simple, but the truth behind it is something I have seen repeatedly in organizations across industries. An opportunity is offered. A person says, “I am not ready.” Time passes. Someone else steps forward, performs, grows, and gets recognized. Then the first person feels ignored, sidelined, or unlucky. Key takeaway: In the workplace, many opportunities are not lost because they were denied to us. They are lost because we declined them before we had the courage to grow into them. This pattern is more common than most professionals admit. A manager asks you to present. You hesitate. A leader asks you to handle a client conversation. You step back. A senior offers you a cross-functional assignment. You say it is outside your role. Six months later, someone else is seen as more capable, more visible, and more promotable. As Avinash Chate, I have seen this happen in training rooms, leadership workshops, sales programs, and coaching conversations across 1,000+ organizations. The people who move ahead are not always the most polished on day one. They are often the ones who say yes before they feel fully ready. Why We Say No to Opportunities Let us be honest. Most people do not reject opportunities because they are lazy. They reject them because they are afraid. Fear often disguises itself as logic. We say, “I need more experience.” We say, “Let someone more senior do it.” We say, “I do not want to fail publicly.” We say, “This is not in my job description.” These statements sound practical, but very often they are emotional shields. The real issue is not capability. The real issue is discomfort. Growth almost always arrives wearing the clothes of inconvenience. It comes as extra responsibility, uncertain expectations, public visibility, and the possibility of mistakes. That is why so many people avoid it. They do not realize that leadership potential is rarely discovered in comfort zones. In my sessions as Avinash Chate, a TEDx speaker and author of The Winning Edge, I remind professionals that readiness is not a precondition for growth. Readiness is often the result of growth. You become ready by stepping in, not by standing back. Missed Opportunities Rarely Announce Themselves One of the biggest career myths is that life-changing opportunities arrive with perfect clarity. They do not. They usually look small, inconvenient, and optional. A chance to anchor a team meeting may not look like a leadership opportunity. A request to support a difficult client may not look like a trust signal. A stretch assignment may feel like extra work rather than career acceleration. But these moments matter. Organizations observe more than outcomes. They observe attitude. They notice who volunteers, who resists, who takes ownership, and who avoids pressure…
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By Avinash Chate — Maharashtra’s #1 Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker. Published 2026-04-19.