What to do when you don’t know the answer

In the professional world, it's common for us to feel the pressure of delivering perfect responses to every question that comes our way—especially when the asks come from senior leaders above us. But realistically, this is impossible.

Recently, my doctor didn't know what to do with an issue I brought to her. How she responded bolstered my trust in and respect for her even more. I think we can learn from her example in this Two-Minute Tip.

  • It's not uncommon for me to hear from clients this desire to be able to answer any question that comes their way and deliver a perfect response. And typically the pressure in these situations comes when a leader above them is asking the question or board members are asking. The truth is, it's totally unrealistic for us to expect that we know all the answers and can deliver a perfect response every single time.

    Just recently I was at a doctor appointment and had a question for my doctor and she didn't know the answer. She didn't know what the best next step was for me on this. And rather than trying to fake it and come up with something, she just acknowledged it.

    She said, "You know what? I actually haven't encountered that before and I'm not sure what the best next step is. And so if you don't mind, I would like to discuss this with a couple colleagues and get their input before we determine what to do next."

    And her response there, her humility to own that she didn't know and wanted to gather some other input, absolutely boosted my trust in her and my respect for her.

    What if we did the same when the Board asks us a question, when a senior executive asks something of you and you don't know the answer? Rather than getting all stressed and trying to fumble through something, what if we just own it? And we say, "That's a great question. I don't actually know the best response to that right now, but here's what I'm going to do to find out and I will get back to you in a couple days." Don't just leave it hanging. Actually deliver your plan to go find the answer and get it to them, but own in the moment that you don't know.

    And if you do that and pair it with a plan to get them the answer, I promise their trust and their respect for - their trust in and respect for you will grow, and you will feel more confident too, rather than stressing out in those moments.

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