Karen Conlin"I am just not a head-of-the-table sort of person, if you take my meaning."
I *love* that self-characterization. It's completely on point for this dude. (He's been asked to sit at the head of an enormous table, as de facto leader. That makes him uncomfortable.)
This absolutely is the kind of thing I point out in dev crit letters. It's vital to tell a client what they've gotten right!