To know or not to know? That is the question.

I don’t know.

Three words no employee ever wants to say. But sometimes, you just gotta say them.

There’s nothing worse than looking stupid at work. Well actually, pretending you know something and then being wrong about it is a LOT worse.

I learned very early on in my career that pretending I had all the answers only got me into trouble. And when I was finally brave enough to ask for help, I realised that 90% of those around me had no idea either.

“Ask Jerry. Ask Yolanda. Ummm, I think that department is actually gone now…hmmm.”

Not knowing didn’t make me or those around me ‘stupid.’ It just meant that we all had our own expertise, and when a question popped up that was slightly outside of our area, we needed a different expert to answer it.

Admitting you don’t know something is not a weakness. It means you are confident enough to acknowledge it and then seek out those that can help you answer it.

“I don’t know. Let me find out.” is a perfectly fine answer. Even if it’s something you should know.

We all make mistakes, and we all get overwhelmed from time to time. But if you are a good employee, your manager and those around you will not think any less of you by admitting you don’t know or that you need help. Everybody needs help at some point.

Now, if you keep ‘not knowing,’ then you’ve got a problem. And you either need to step up or realise that job ain’t right for you. And that’s COMPLETELY FINE too. Just because you landed a job you thought you’d love, doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you. And it doesn’t make you any less capable by admitting it’s not right and finding something that is. That my friend, is actually BRAVE.

So the next time you ‘don’t know’, just own up to it. Find out the answer and move on.