I Don't Know

Three words that cost leaders more than they admit:

“I don’t know.”

Many leaders feel those three words are dangerous.

Worry that admitting they don’t know will erase their credibility.

So they perform…

Give answers before the information or make decisions because they need to have one.

Guess what… Your team knows.

And when a leader doesn’t say, “I don’t know,” their team starts to make assumptions or speculate. They hesitate or simply stop trusting their leader.

That’s why I’ve come to appreciate a slightly different version:

“I don’t know, but I will.”

This doesn’t mean you’re incapable, it means you’re willing to acknowledge what you don’t know and committed to finding out.

That’s leadership…

Vulnerability. Humility. Discipline.

Credibility doesn’t come from being certain.

It comes from being accountable when certainty isn’t available.