The Power of “I don’t know”

If you have ever worked for me, you know that I preach the power of “I don’t know”.

Saying I don’t know is one of the most powerful phrases we can ever say.

When you say I don’t know you are not just showing humility and being vulnerable. You are being honest. Being honest about what you DON’T know.

And why is that so powerful?

Trust.

If I ask you questions and you answer even when you don’t know. I learn NOT TO TRUST your answer(s).

Now play it back and flip it, if I ask you a question and you don’t know the answer and you say I don’t know. What did I learn?

I learned I CAN TRUST when you do know an answer because you only answer when you know, otherwise you say… I don’t know.

Some of the smartest people I know say “I don’t know” a lot. The end result is I can trust them, their answers and their credibility because I can clearly see an outline of their realm of knowledge and competency.

This applies to how everyone’s minds work, but if you’re an engineer or leader imagine the amazing team culture you will have built on a strong and required foundation of trust because all team members and leaders are embracing the power of “I don’t know”.

This article was originally a post published on LinkedIn in April of 2020. If you enjoy my content please follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter. Also check out my YouTube channel for video tutorials.