Why it's important to learn how to say 'I don't know'

The desire to look better than they are is characteristic of weak, insecure people who want positive feedback for every action they take. Why admitting your incompetence can help you a lot? We tell you together with experts.

Ph.D. in Economics, Vice-Rector for Educational Activities at INGM Academy

Honestly admit that something does not know, can only a strong person who does not depend on other people’s opinions.

With age and life experience one begins to realize this and strive to be self-sufficient. It’s important to accept that you can’t know everything about everything. Then it is easy to live, because you stop worrying about your incompetence in many human and universal problems. You feel at the same time calm and confident, doing only what interests you personally, not others.

How to stop doubting yourself and fight the “imposter syndrome”, told in our material.

Why is it important to say “I do not know”?

sales expert, author of books, consultant

Most of the problems in adulthood come from childhood. All of us in school scolded for the answer “I do not know”. But despite the widespread myth that lack of competence in any matter will show you from the negative side, it is important to be honest about your ignorance.

For one thing, it shows you as a strong person who takes responsibility for your words. There are so many empty promises and unjustified statements in the world that it makes no sense to breed them. Say only what you are really sure of.

Secondly, by answering the question “I don’t know”, you save your time and the time of your interlocutor. Time is the most valuable resource and should be used wisely. There is no shame in not knowing if you are willing to expand your area of expertise or refer your interlocutor to someone who can really help them.

Thirdly, the uncertainty in your voice when you answer will be read by your interlocutor and you will be caught in a lie, which is much worse than ignorance. By lying once, you can lose your interlocutor, colleague, employer, customer once and for all. If you work in a field where everyone knows each other, you will damage your business reputation.

On how to act in a stressful situation, you can read in our material.

In the age of high-speed internet, it’s easy to verify what you say. If you are uncomfortable admitting to your own incompetence, I advise you to replace the wording “I do not know” on a more streamlined. For example, “I’m not ready to answer you right now. I need some time, I will clarify your question and come back with an answer in…”. This way you won’t say a phrase that is uncomfortable for you, but you won’t deceive your interlocutor and damage your reputation.

Natalia: I usually answer that I “don’t know yet”, because you can always look up the answer to any question from experts or just “google it”. But I do it only if the task really needs to be solved or I’m just curious. In unimportant and uninteresting cases, you should not load your brain with unnecessary information, so as not to go crazy from possible negative emotions.

Having reported your ignorance of any fact, you can get help in finding the necessary information from your boss, colleagues, partners, friends. People like to demonstrate that they know and can do more than others, so they will be happy to do a good deed. This, by the way, is one of the ways to establish effective human relations. In the same way, you can refuse to perform a task that is beyond your own competence. It is not worth abusing this opportunity too often, so as not to be among those dismissed due to inconsistency with the position held.

It is advisable to find a way to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the manager, utilizing available resources and the knowledge of others. I have been in management positions for 15 years, so I can attest that supervisors prefer honest employees who do not exaggerate their knowledge, but are willing to constantly learn new things. A know-it-all employee will simply lose time and the company will lose revenue from an overdue or poorly executed project.