You Don’t Need to Have All the Answers
Be Comfortable Saying “I Don’t Know.”
Let me tell you two secrets about management. One is that none of us really know what we’re doing. And the second is that we’re all afraid everyone will find that out.
You can see this behavior whenever an employee asks their boss a difficult question. Most managers will want to have an immediate answer. They equate that with competent leadership. So, when they don’t know an answer, they’ll either make excuses or try to take a guess.
Neither option inspires confidence. Both will undermine the respect and trust of your team.
One of the defining aspects of a new situation is that you haven’t experienced it before. If someone asks you a question and you’ve never gone through a similar issue, you shouldn’t have the answer right away. That seems fairly obvious.
Except that’s not how we feel in the moment. Not when people are looking at us and expecting a quick response. Not when feelings of doubt and uncertainty start kicking in.
But here’s the truth. You don’t need to have all of the answers to be a great manager. You need to set a vision and provide direction. You need to establish standards and communicate expectations. And you need to provide meaningful feedback and take an interest in the success of your people…
