The decision quality of an organization is partially reflected by how often its leaders and team members say, “I don’t know.”
The common admission of a lack of knowledge signifies humility and a commitment to learning.
I-don’t-know-cultures promote psychological safety, learning, collaboration, and precision. Better yet, they make higher-quality decisions.
When leaders and team members throughout an organization get used to saying that they don’t know (when they honestly don’t know), it sends a quiet but powerful message to pursue accuracy and clarity.
But despite its advantages, saying “I don’t know” is incredibly hard for some people.
Inside organizations, people feel a pressure to always have an answer. So, when they don’t know, they often bluff, guess, or stay silent.
That’s how bad decisions gain traction.
Admitting uncertainty makes room for more data, diverse perspectives, and experimentation. Acknowledging uncertainty early lets leaders and teams find a quality answer on their march toward a sound decision.
When not knowing is shameful, curiosity and accuracy suffer. When not knowing is acceptable, people ask better questions, seek feedback, and constantly update their thinking.
That’s why good leaders do their best to normalize not knowing.
Leaders who admit they don’t know signal confidence, not weakness. It proves they value truth over ego. This gives others permission to do the same.
In addition to simply saying they don’t know when that is the case, one leadership practice is particularly impactful for normalizing the admission of not knowing.
Good leaders frequently begin discussions by first exploring what is NOT known.
They dive into decision-making by clarifying what is still unknown, as opposed to discussing the various viewpoints of the team members.
By starting with “what we don’t know,” leaders establish a baseline of understanding and what is left to learn before making a decision or drawing a conclusion.
By acknowledging unknowns upfront, leaders signal it is safe to admit uncertainty about any topic or issue.
Every time a leader launches the discussion with what isn’t known, they create an opportunity for data gathering, testing of assumptions, and the pursuit of a deeper understanding.
The unknowns set the stage for discovery. This lowers the pressure for team members to provide false or inaccurate answers when the appropriate response is “I don’t know.”
A gaps-first, answers-second approach helps leaders to normalize not knowing across the organization. Every unknown is a launchpad for discovery.
Show people that, and they will refrain more often from saying they know when they really don’t.
Bluster, pretense, and posturing never make for better decisions.
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
