Paying too much respect

I have a genuine appreciation for the abilities of people to do what is necessary in their jobs and when I see progress is not being made I fail to understand how someone whose ability I respect can be failing in his job. Therefore I get frustrated. I have told several colleagues of the problems I am having in getting externalisation going and they remind me that Geoff, just because someone has a masters degree this doesn't mean they know what they are doing. They need to be guided and shown. That's what you have to do.
I assume someone in a position of authority is an implementer and has ability to direct me and so it is foreign to my way of thinking that I not give him credit for being able to do something and to direct me - after all he is the employer. It is a bit like a dog who you give too much credit to - when you come to the closed gate the dog waits there. You assume that because he has dug holes before that he knows how to get out of a fenced yard. Differnet situation. Aha, here is a gate. Man igat skills mi no gat. Mi larim gate bilong man. Perhaps something similar is going on with trying to externalise University courses. This is a major change of culture for this University and I should not assume that knowledge and skills in one area are transferable to another. I've got no idea how useful this way of thinking might be to my sorting out a role for myself.