Not knowing everything is liberating!

I’ve had a great many leaders throughout my career journey, and I have learned something from all of them. Whether it is how to lead with grace, or (less frequently) how NOT to behave as a leader, I have learned from all of them. Most of them had a great deal of experience and knowledge. They invariably knew a great many things that I didn’t know, and when I was younger, as with almost all up-and-comers, I was like a sponge, soaking up whatever lessons they shared with me about leadership, personal growth, success, etc. And again like many others I’m sure, I often found myself in awe of the sheer extent of their knowledge, and could not imagine the day when I might occupy a position like theirs, having the wisdom that they seemed to carry so effortlessly.

Fast forward several years, and I found myself leading a large team of people, responsible for the financial success of a very large part of our corporation, and feeling less than adequately prepared in terms of my knowledge of the clients we were serving, the competitors we were faced with, and the market we were operating in. A veritable babe in the woods, with the look of a deer in the headlights I’m sure! And yet collectively we had great success. Perhaps extensive knowledge in the hands of an all-knowing, all-seeing leader is not all its cracked up to be?

Not knowing is a learning / development opportunity for your team

I’m sure almost all leaders have experienced the pressure of being expected to have all the answers. You’re the head of the department. Surely you know everything about the minutia of the day to day operations of your team? So your team comes to you with all sorts of issues and challenges, and they just expect you to KNOW. And often you do, or you know at least enough to provide an educated and somewhat informed response. Then, because you have been conditioned to believe that it is a leaders job to provide answers, and also because – lets face it – its kind of satisfying to be the one who has the solution, you provide them with the answer. You move on, satisfied that your team is now able to deal with the challenge at hand, and blissfully unaware that you have missed out on a huge opportunity.

Let me ask you… do you remember the first leader who gave you the answer to a problem you were trying to solve? I know I don’t. But do you know who I do remember? I vividly recall the first leader who had the courage to tell me that they didn’t have the answer I was looking for. I remember them as one of the best leaders I’ve ever had. They didn’t just tell me they didn’t have the answer. They then asked ME questions – about the detail of the problem; the solutions I’d already tried; the potential resources I could use in search of a solution; and about what I planned to do next to solve the problem myself. They didn’t abandon me, but they didn’t rush to save me either. They gave me just enough room to learn and grow.

To this day, I don’t know if they really didn’t have the answer, or if they were just THAT good at developing their team. I suspect that it might be the latter, but it actually doesn’t matter. The point is they realized that the team could not only survive but in fact would thrive if the leader did not have all the answers. Forced to think for themselves, teams become more independent, more resourceful, they work more collaboratively, and they exhibit more creativity. This is worth far more than any information that the leader may or may not be able to share with the team.

Lose the stigma of not knowing – its very liberating!

I’ve had many instances in my professional career where someone came to me looking for a solution, and I had to admit that I didn’t have the answer. Initially my reaction was embarrassment or shame, but I’ve taught myself to see this as very liberating. I am the leader, I am not some all-knowing seer. My job is to inspire and guide you to be the best that you can be, not to mollycoddle you and spoonfeed you, but to lift you up to the heights of your potential. And I can’t do that if I have all the answers.

So as a leader, NOT having the answers might be one of the most powerful traits you can have - but only if you own up to it and wear it like a badge of honour, not hide it with shame.

Gavin is the Founder of Pinnacle Coaching & Advisory. At Pinnacle, we work with you to bring out your best. If you’re interested in coaching or want to know more about it, contact us to discuss how we can work together or to arrange a free sample session.