Know What You Don't Know

“Know what you don't know . . .

. . . know what you know . . .

. . . know how to find out what you don't know . . .

. . . but don't act like you know when you don't.”

Tony Friday, July 2010

What do you do when you are faced with a problem for which you don’t have an answer? Most of us don’t like to admit when we don’t have an answer. It is not a sign of weakness or a lack of leadership ability to admit you don’t know everything. Finding answers sometimes may take the concerted effort of a team of well-informed and experienced individuals who can combine their skills to help resolve the issues facing an organization.

What about in your home? When your family is faced with problems that seem to overwhelm, how is the leadership role defined? In our home my wife and I work together to manage the day-to-day operations of our family life. Together we nurture and discipline our children. On issues and decisions where we may not totally agree on how they should be handled, she chooses to defer to me and my judgment. However, there are many times when I have to trust her knowledge on a given matter.

Recently, we were faced with a challenge that took us totally by surprise. I did not have an answer to the problem and I realized that I did not know how to handle it. With extraordinary calm and resolve my wife was able to masterfully address the issue.

As a leader you must be able to recognize when you do not have the answer and seek out resources that can bring a fresh perspective to a problem. It is important to know when to step back, define the problem and bring innovation and creativity to the problem-solving process.

Once I was able to step back from the problem and gain clarity, my wife and I were able to come up with a solution together. My wife’s strength is her patience, and my leadership has been enhanced because of it.