I'm Pretty Sure I Have No Idea
Photo Credit: Dil on Unsplash

I'm Pretty Sure I Have No Idea

I have that saying on a name plate on my desk. It made me laugh when I saw it so I bought it. I resonated with me in a big way and now every time I look at it I smile and think, yep.

We’re all just trying to do our best every day. Working with the upbringing, experience, education - or lack there of - that we’ve had in our pasts. None of it is better than the other, it just is.

There is something really powerful about leaders that are comfortable saying, I don’t know. It shows that they are being honest, being humble, being transparent. It connects them to their team and puts them on an equal footing where they can both learn together. I tell my team, I don’t know all the time. I am resourceful so I will look for the answer and then circle back and fill them in but it’s okay to not have every answer all the time.

On the few occasions I have had leaders answer a question with I don't know, I immediately trust them and want to hear more of what they have to say. 

We, too often, are trying to fill space with our voices. We think we must answer every question, no matter what, just to get an answer out there. Maybe we think we have to know everything if we are to be taken seriously. But how many times has someone answered a question for you and you walked away even more confused? Like, did that person even know what they were talking about? Probably not but they wanted to give you an answer. Bullshit answers often go unchallenged or worse, rewarded. 

When I was in school I was scared to be called on. What if I said the wrong answer? Don’t make eye contact! 

Now, it just means I don’t have all the facts or I have other questions about your question.

There is a beauty to I don’t know. It can create a dialogue between people, uncover more facts, and perhaps produce a more productive outcome. There is no way to know everything. That’s why we have experts on this earth- so we can help each other out. I don’t know how to be a teenager anymore but guess what, my team sure does. They teach me stuff everyday and I have no problem saying, I don’t know what that is. They slow down and show me a thing or two. I laugh with them and then we get back to work. 

The more we live, the more we realize what we don’t know but we can share the little bit that we do. Isn’t that the point of why we’re all together?


*The views and opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not represent my employer or clients

Jessica Jenkins

Administrative Coordinator Cardiology Clinic

4 年

I’m finally okay saying “I’m pretty sure I have no idea!” And I’m pretty sure you helped me to figure that out ??

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