People may think that leaders have to have all the answers. Let this be a reminder - or perhaps an eye-opening piece of news - that this is not the case.
Employees may expect their managers to have all of the information necessary to lead effectively. Employees tend to view knowledgeable managers as more trustworthy, especially when it comes to devising or carrying out a strategy that benefits the welfare of the team or company. There is also a chain of knowledge that employees may feel is necessary in order to execute their work properly, especially if there is top-down information that needs to be communicated effectively. Managers who know the answers and consistently feed them to their employees are viewed as empowering, since their team members then receive their transferred knowledge and can produce effective work.
There is nothing inherently wrong with any of that. In fact, most of it is accurate and necessary. But it isn't always possible, and knowing more than someone else isn't always what's needed to make someone a successful leader.
Let's dig into those angles.
When it's not possible...
If a leader is dealing with industry uncertainty, economic hardships, or market changes, there may not be answers or even facts available. When it's not possible to know everything, leaders need to a) find out as much as they can and filter it through the appropriate lens before sharing it internally, b) communicate updates consistently, and c) teach their team how to discern relevant information from noise. Here, the most important elements will be context and relevance. Beware - There will be a lot of conjecture built on top of a few important facts; coaching your team through the decision-making process of determining what is relevant or impactful and what isn't will help build their confidence and contribute to their understanding.
When it's not necessary...
This avenue is related to the idea that you don't necessarily have to be the one who comes up with all of the best ideas all of the time -- you can be just as integral to a team's operations if you are the one who identifies effective solutions or the one who orchestrates the brilliant execution. Similarly, if a leader simply doesn't know the answer to a question, this doesn't detract from the leader's abilities or other areas of knowledge: Sometimes, leaders can be just as effective if they know where the answer can be found and can point people in the right direction. This may even build you a reputation of helping your team figure out how to find the right answers and feel connected to people with varying areas of expertise.
There are a few principles of leadership and professional development that will help you grow more comfortable with asking questions and either finding new information yourself, finding someone who knows more, or coaching your team toward figuring out the information themselves. Keep reading to explore these areas and grow your self-awareness as you comb through each one.
Be forgiving & leverage your network
As a leader, you already have a mountain of responsibilities that can feel stressful; you don't need to add more pressure onto your plate unnecessarily. Be forgiving with yourself: You don't need to know everything about everything. You need to know enough to do your job well, even go above and beyond, and help others do their jobs well, but you don't need to know every single detail about every single topic or function - it's just as effective to utilize your organization's resources or even your wider network in order to learn from others and leverage their strengths so you can focus on honing the skills and knowledge that matter most to you.
Never stop learning
To acknowledge that you don't know something requires humility and vulnerability, which can be difficult to display. These behaviors become much more natural when you name yourself a lifelong learner. No matter how old you are, what your title is, how many years of experience you have, or how many accomplishments you have achieved, you can always learn more. But in order to learn something, you must first come to terms with the fact that you don't already know it. Be humble, and never stop learning. You will grow both as a leader and as a human being, adding to your professional arsenal and to your personal repertoire.
Keep growing perspective
Even if you do know something, you may only know it through your own lens. Each of us has a lifetime of unique experiences that shapes our understanding of new information. Each new fact or opinion we hear is vetted against our existing schema for that topic; we decide whether we agree with it or not, whether we might change our opinion to absorb this new information and form a new belief or perspective that becomes our new standard. Emotionally intelligent leaders are able to separate their personal views from objective views and seek new perspectives to grow their worldview. As such, finding something you don't know and seeking out the answer may actually benefit you, growing your repertoire and rounding out your perspective to fuel future thoughts and interactions.
Vulnerability & clear communication build trust
It is important to note that there's nothing wrong with not knowing something, as long as you admit it and either work towards figuring it out or find someone who does know and can help fill in the gaps. Vulnerability builds trust and gives you a chance to resonate with your team with a "boots on the ground," "all hands on deck" approach that they may appreciate from time to time, as it shows you are with them, supporting them, all working toward the same goal. The key is communicating clearly, paying attention to context, filtering out the unnecessary information, and being realistic.
Key elements:
Self-awareness will help you recognize whether you know something or not
Humility will help you acknowledge it externally
A strong network (internally or externally) will help you leverage others' strengths to fill gaps
Clear, consistent communication will help others feel in-the-loop
Strategic filtering and context will enable you to deliver the appropriate message when you perform discovery and need to look at this new information through a particular lens, especially before sharing it with others
Leaders, don't add more pressure to your plate. You don't need to know everything. You need to know enough to do your job - okay, maybe a little more to shine brightly - and it will benefit you to know where to find the right information and how to discern whether it's relevant or not, especially before filtering it and sharing a whittled down version to your team. They may even thank you for teaching them the transferable, vital skills of being resourceful, gathering information, connecting with colleagues, appreciating others' skill sets, discerning relevance from noise, and adding filters and context to understand the appropriate level of impact and how it relates to you and your brand. Be vulnerable and humble, communicate clearly and often, think strategically and objectively, keep learning and growing your perspective, and tailor your approach to the situation at hand. Working towards mastering these skills will make you indispensible to any organization or team.

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